Maybe
by watchforwalkers
Summary: Kurt Hummel thought he could get over his crush on Finn Hudson, but instead his feelings only become deeper as he tries to distract himself with other relationships. In the wake of Blaine's unexpected proposal, Kurt decides it's time to do something drastic to help himself move on, but the outcome isn't what he expected. Kurt spent so long trying to get over Finn, but now it turns


The night after his dad marries Carole, Kurt locks himself in the basement of his house—his _old_ house—and cries. He has had a dance with the boy he loves, and he knows he will not have one again, not until the day Kurt himself is getting married, and Finn feels like they should dance there. He's tried to tell himself before, to be ruthless with himself even – Finn Hudson is not gay. Kurt needs to change a few things.

He spends two hours and seventeen minutes writing his feelings for Finn, all of his hopes for the future that he knows will never come true, starting with the tasteful–yet–available–in–Lima Christmas present and ending with attending senior prom on Finn's arm. He digs out all of the sketches he's done of clothes he would make for the two of them, complementary designs that suit each of their personalities and styles, yet are not the same and are not matchy-matchy. He collects all of the sketches and all of his written words, and exactly two hours and thirty-three minutes after he locked his door, he unlocks it.

He doesn't stop to consider what Finn's doing as he marches through the house. He doesn't stop to see what Finn is watching on the television. He grabs a large ceramic bowl from the kitchen and the long lighter they use for candles, and goes into the backyard.

It's fitting, he thinks, that the ceramic bowl that he's using was once his mother's. Now she's gone and no, Carole isn't trying to replace her, Kurt knows that. Still, his mother is gone, they are moving to a new house, and his father has a new wife. Kurt puts the papers in the bowl and watches the flames catch. He cries again as they burn, but he knows he needs to do this. He has to find a way to move on, to stop stupidly dreaming about a future with Finn that he doesn't think they will ever have. Kurt will never stop loving Finn; if the incident the first time the Hudsons and Hummels tried to cohabitate didn't make Kurt change his mind about Finn, he doubts that anything will. But he has to find a way to move on and live his life, without holding on to so much _hope_.

It's that desire to move on and push his love for Finn to the back of his mind that makes him accept his dad and Carole's offer to transfer to Dalton. Away from school, he'll only see Finn at home, in the evenings and the weekends and crabby in the morning. That will help, Kurt thinks; seeing Finn as a brother and not a potential partner.

It does not help. Oh, it helps Kurt see all of Finn's faults and all of his annoying habits, but he finds them endearing. When he's not at home, when he's at Dalton, he tries to transfer his affections to Blaine, just like he had tried, very temporarily, with Sam. It's easier with Blaine, since Blaine is in fact gay, and since Blaine doesn't even know Finn or the rest of Kurt's friends from McKinley. Kurt doesn't fit at Dalton, he doesn't make friends easily with the other Warblers, but a sappy schoolboy crush on Blaine is something he manages to have.

He feels guilty every evening when he goes home and sees Finn. He feels as if he's betraying Finn, even though there's nothing there to actually betray.

After Pavarotti dies, after the Warblers lose Regionals, after the New Directions win Regionals, and after Blaine kisses Kurt, Kurt thinks that will be it. He has a boyfriend. He likes his boyfriend, he enjoys kissing his boyfriend, and that will make the little bit of love in the back of Kurt's head extinguish itself, or at least transmute into a more brotherly affection.

It doesn't work like that.

From the moment that Kurt transfers back to McKinley, every day becomes harder. He is dating Blaine. He is in love with Finn. He doesn't know how to do it, and when the New Directions return from Nationals, come home from New York, Blaine says that he loves Kurt. Kurt responds after too many beats, a simple sentence: "I love you, too." It's not true, though; it's the worst lie Kurt can remember telling, because why shouldn't he love this boy in front of him, this boy who is actually gay and actually loves Kurt?

He doesn't love Blaine because he's already in love with Finn, and by that point, he's been in love with Finn for two years. He's set his father up with Carole because of his love for Finn, he's manipulated people because of his love for Finn, and he can't love Blaine because of his love for Finn. So he lies to Blaine, and he hopes the summer won't be as excruciating as he thinks it will be.

The summer, however, is just as horrible as Kurt had suspected. He sees Blaine as often as he can, and he even tries to avoid social outings that involve Finn unless they involve the majority of New Directions. Finn lives at his house, though, and they have the same summer job, working at Hummel Tires and Lube for Burt. By the time August begins, Kurt is desperate to think of anything to do to save his relationship and his sanity. He finally decides that the answer is asking Blaine to transfer to McKinley. Then he'll see Blaine more and be in a situation to notice Finn less. It's a win-win, Kurt thinks, and he turns his persuasive powers on Blaine, trying to make Blaine see why he should transfer.

Kurt _could_ love Blaine, if it weren't for Finn; he wants to be in love with sweet, short Blaine instead of tall, foot-in-mouth Finn. But he's not in love with Blaine, and he is in love with Finn, and no one needs to know the truth.

Sometimes Kurt thinks he is the weirdest teenage boy on the planet. Blaine doesn't pressure him to go further, though, which makes him think that maybe it's okay. Their conversation doesn't alleviate Kurt's concerns, though. He does want to go below the belt, so to speak, but as much as he's fought his own mind, a tiny corner of his mind still hopes that his first time will be with someone who isn't Blaine. With Finn, who is happy with Rachel, and if all gossip is to be believed, is planning on having sex with Rachel at any moment. Kurt watches his boyfriend, the boy he's supposed to love, dance with Sebastian; Kurt fights off his boyfriend in the car. It's clear what he has to do, because he _needs_ Blaine. He can't lose Blaine. Blaine is keeping him sane, keeping him from giving Finn the looks that are probably creepy, and keeping him from throwing away their brotherly relationship on something that will never happen.

It takes Kurt two more days to decide on what has to be done. He should sleep with Blaine. He's trying so hard to put Blaine first, and maybe if Blaine _is_ his first, it will help. He could love Blaine, even, if it weren't for Finn. And if he closes his eyes while he thrusts inside Blaine, if he never says Blaine's name while they're in bed that evening, no one knows but Kurt. And no one else knows that he goes home and cries.

It does seem to help, for awhile. Even during Blaine's absence from McKinley with his eye surgery, Kurt manages. When Blaine starts pulling away, though, Kurt has to throw himself into everything else, to keep from thinking about Finn and Rachel's still–impending nuptials. Chandler is a wonderful distraction, someone who doesn't know Blaine or Finn, someone who expects so little from Kurt that it's refreshing to text him. Refreshing until Blaine snoops, accuses Kurt of cheating, and they end up in couples' counseling with Ms. Pillsbury, with Kurt saying all the right things, things he no longer knows if he believes.

The worst day of Kurt's life is the day that he's turned down at NYADA. The only thing that starts to mitigate the pain is that Finn and Rachel are not, in fact, getting married, and Kurt feels so guilty about that spike of joy that he throws himself into his relationship with Blaine over the summer. He throws himself into Blaine, and planning a future in New York City with Blaine, and he spares thoughts for Finn in the Army, of course he does, but Kurt starts to think optimistically. Another year or two or three, especially if Rachel doesn't get back together with Finn, and Finn doesn't live in the same city or state as Kurt… maybe Kurt can learn to fall in love with Blaine for real. Maybe one day he really will fall out of love with Finn.

But Finn is discharged from the Army, and Blaine cheats on Kurt, and Finn gives him a _hug_ before he leaves, and Kurt cries off and on for days. He cries for what Blaine did, what Blaine said, and he cries for himself, because he can't help but compare Finn's behavior and Blaine's. Finn's actions towards Rachel, even when he doesn't get them right, are always motivated by wanting the best for her. Blaine's actions are motivated by what's best for himself.

It takes Kurt weeks to start moving on. The idea of being friends with Blaine is strangely appealing; maybe if Kurt had never tried to be anything but friends, initially, he could have eventually felt more strongly for Blaine. He can't even bring himself to be too upset when Blaine appears at Christmas; at least it means that he's not thinking about the other half of his family, the half that includes Finn. Blaine is a distraction at the failed wedding of Ms. Pillsbury and Mr. Schuester, and nothing more, and Kurt doesn't know how else to get that through Blaine's head. He's tried, tried for years now, to fall in love with Blaine and it didn't happen. He needs to try someone else, someone not from Ohio, someone like Adam.

The slow build of Kurt and Adam's relationship is perfect, Kurt thinks. He's still in love with Finn, but Adam is sweet and considerate, and at times, Adam even reminds Kurt of Finn, in how he thinks of others. Maybe Kurt had been wrong to go for someone who was so different from Finn, when he started dating Blaine. Maybe he had needed someone more similar to Finn to help him learn to fall in love with someone who isn't Finn.

Kurt thinks that during his trip home to Lima. He misses Adam. It's a good sign, he tells himself. He misses Adam, and if he carefully pencils in a time to visit Finn while he's in town, that's because they're brothers. If it's a good part of the reason he stays long enough to see Regionals, that's because they're brothers. That's what Kurt tells himself. It makes sense to use the special dispensation he's gotten, to take off a week just before midterms, to visit all of his family.

And when Kurt is watching Mr. Schuester and Ms. Pillsbury finally get married, his mind is admittedly on Finn, on telling Finn about what he missed, and he checks the time, to make sure he leaves with plenty of leeway to meet Finn. He doesn't notice the looks that Sam and Tina exchange, nor the looks the two of them exchange with Blaine. He doesn't notice the mood in the room gradually shift, until everything quiets, and he turns around with a horrified gasp.

Blaine is in front of him, down on one knee, holding a ring box, and judging by the smile on Blaine's face, he thinks Kurt's gasp is pleased rather than horrified. "Kurt, we're soulmates," Blaine says earnestly. "Please do me the honor of agreeing to become my husband."

"Oh, god," Kurt whispers, his hands over his mouth. He thinks he might throw up. He doesn't even want to date Blaine, much less marry him. "No, Blaine," he says, as the murmurs in the room grow. "No," Kurt says more firmly, shaking his head. "We're not even dating. I won't marry you."

Not then, not later, and Kurt realizes, not ever. Even if Blaine hadn't cheated – well, it's immaterial, because Blaine did. Blaine cheated, and Kurt doesn't know how he would feel otherwise. He knows, though, that the horrified gasp was partially because a seventeen year old was proposing to him, and partially because it was the wrong person.

After all of Kurt's careful work, the only person he wants to marry is still Finn Hudson.

It takes only ten minutes for Kurt to escape from the very uncomfortable atmosphere in the room. He congratulates Mr. Schuester and Ms. Pillsbury a final time, and then leaves to meet Finn for dinner at Joey's. Kurt is twenty minutes early, so he takes a seat and shreds several napkins into tiny pieces.

Finn is exactly on time, and Kurt abandons the booth he's been occupying in favor of standing in line with Finn. "Hello, Finn," Kurt says quietly.

"Hey, little brother," Finn says, holding his arms out expectantly for a hug.

Kurt moves into Finn's arms with a tiny little sigh; he enjoys the brief contact far more than he should. "You missed quite a bit of excitement," he informs Finn. "A wedding and a proposal."

"Oh yeah?" Finn released Kurt from the hug and takes a half-step back. "Don't tell me Brittany and Sam got married again."

"No, no," Kurt assures him. "Ms. Pillsbury apparently decided that she couldn't handle the stress of a planned wedding, so she brought in a priest and married Mr. Schuester right there after the competition."

"Well good for them!" Finn exclaims. "I guess I have to repurchase their wedding gift. I returned it after last time." He gives Kurt an inquisitive look. "Who proposed?"

Kurt sighs heavily. "Blaine did." He's a bit curious as to whom Finn will assume Blaine proposed; after all, it had seemed very strange to Kurt that Blaine would propose to someone he wasn't actually dating, but most of New Directions hadn't found it that odd at all. Tina had shot Kurt angry looks for his refusal up until the moment Kurt had left.

"Did _he_ propose to Sam or something?" Finn asks. He seems to study Kurt's face for a few moments. "Is everything okay with you?"

"Not to Sam, no, and not particularly," Kurt admits as they reach the counter. Neither of them continues the conversation while they order and then go back to Kurt's shredded napkin-covered table. "Not at all, really," Kurt says softly once he's sitting down.

Finn gives the napkin debris a confused look and mutters, "They forgot to clean the table," as he sits. Once he's in his seat, he turns his confused expression back to Kurt. "Did that idiot propose to you?"

Kurt nods wearily. "He's apparently decided that he and I are 'soulmates'," Kurt says, his shoulders sagging. "I told him no, of course."

"But you guys have been broken up for like six months!" Finn shakes his head. "That's crazy. I mean, it's not crazy to propose to you because it's you or anything, it's just crazy to propose to you because you guys aren't together."

"There's also the fact that he's only seventeen, I'm not quite twenty, and I'm actually dating someone else," Kurt agrees. "Needless to say, however, the atmosphere after I declined was rather… interesting. I suspect Tina's burning a photograph of me as we speak."

"Yeah, she's been a little weird this year," Finn says.

"I left as quickly as I could, without being rude." Kurt falls silent as their hot dogs arrive, and he takes a bite of his Chicago dog before continuing. "Of the things I miss when I'm in New York, I never considered that a hot dog would one of them," he admits wryly.

"Doesn't New York have hot dog vendors on like every street corner?"

"Hot dogs, yes. Chicago dogs, emphatically no." Kurt shakes his head. "I think it's possible that a New York hot dog vendor would refuse to serve someone who asked for a Chicago-style dog."

"That's funny," Finn says. "Do you think it's because of the pizza rivalry, or is the hot dog rivalry it's own separate thing?"

"I really don't know," Kurt says after a moment. "Perhaps it is its own thing, but it grew out of the pizza rivalry." He pauses, then switches topics abruptly. "How's school going? Are you enjoying your classes?"

"Yeah, it's going pretty good," Finn says. "I don't get to start student teaching until another year or two, though. It's been weird having Puck as a roommate. Cool, but weird. He snores."

"Is he actually taking classes?" Kurt asks absently. "I wouldn't have expected that."

"Nah, he's just working on his screenplay and keeping my ass in gear." Finn laughs for a moment, then sobers. "Seriously, though. What's up with you? Did something else happen? Besides the proposal, I mean."

"Nothing new." Kurt wipes his hands and takes a sip of his pop. "Finn, I need you to be brutally honest with me."

"Okay. I'll try, I guess," Finn says. "What about?"

"Mean, even," Kurt persists. "I can't keep doing this to myself."

"Doing what? Why would you want me to be mean to you?"

"Because I've been lying to all of you for the past three years."

"What, were you sleeping with one of my girlfriends, too?" Finn jokes.

Kurt manages a little smile and shakes his head. "No, not that. I— I never stopped, Finn."

"Never stopped what?" If Finn looked confused before, he looks utterly baffled now.

Kurt starts shredding another napkin, and he stares at the movement of his fingers as he speaks. "Being in love with you," he whispers.

"Oh," Finn says softly. He looks down at the napkin bits on the table, then back up at Kurt, then back down at the table.

"So," Kurt says, businesslike and almost brusque, "this is the part where you remind me that you could never be with me, that you are completely straight, and all of that. As forthrightly as possible."

"Kurt, I don't— I don't know what to say," Finn responds.

"I've tried _very_ hard," Kurt explains. "I went to Dalton, I dated Blaine, Blaine transferred to McKinley, I moved to New York City, I started dating Adam— I have _tried_, Finn. None of it has worked."

"I didn't know," Finn says. "You never said anything. You never did anything, not since sophomore year."

"That was sort of the point, wasn't it?" Kurt says. "For no one to know. To somehow _get over it_."

"But you didn't?" Finn asks faintly.

Kurt shakes his head. "No. And I'm just asking if you could please, please remind me of all the reasons why this will never happen."

"I don't know what to say," Finn repeats. "Kurt, I just— what am I supposed to say?"

"That you are a zero on the Kinsey scale, that there is no way you could ever be attracted me, _something_," Kurt says almost desperately. "And if you can't tell me that, then— then." He stops, temporarily unable to continue.

"Maybe we should go somewhere not Joey's?" Finn suggests. "Did you want to go back to the house, or is that weird?"

"I don't want Dad and Carole to overhear us!" Kurt blurts. "And Dad was talking about _old people sex_ with Carole the other morning. We might walk in on something."

"I— yeah, I have no idea what I'm supposed to say to that, either," Finn confesses. "I don't know what to say about any of this. This is really new for me, you know?"

"I know. I'm sorry," Kurt says softly. "We can just walk around, I suppose. It's not too cold, considering the time of year."

"Yeah, that's fine," Finn agrees.

Kurt stands up and automatically gathers all of their trash, including the shredded napkin bits. He puts his coat back on and then leads the way out of Joey's. He's right, that it isn't cold for the time of year it is, but it's still a little bit chilly, and Kurt crosses his arms, tucking his hands into the crooks of his elbows as they slowly walk down the sidewalk.

"Just tell me no," Kurt says pleadingly. "Just tell me how it can never happen, how crazy I am for even wanting it, and maybe— maybe that will help. Remind me again that you don't like anything but women."

"I don't know, Kurt," Finn says. He glances at Kurt then looks away again, shoving his hands into his pockets. "I don't know if that's really true or not."

Kurt stops in his tracks and stares at Finn. "What are you talking about?" he asks. "Of course it's true! You've never even _looked_ at another guy— and believe me, I've spent enough time noticing where you are looking."

Finn studiously looks anywhere but at Kurt, his hands still in his pockets. "There was a party a couple of weeks ago. I don't know if it means anything or not." He shrugs. "So, I just don't know. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do or say about all of this."

Kurt knows he's gaping, probably unattractively, but he can't quite figure out how to stop. "You— you— I." Kurt throws his hands up in the air. "That's just— I can't— _really_, Finn?" he finally says, his voice cracking embarrassingly between the final two words. He wills himself not to cry, not to speak again until he's more under control, but he doesn't know how he's going to manage either of those things.

"I haven't told anybody, okay? So don't, I don't know." Finn's eyebrows knit together. "It wasn't, like, _intentional_. I just don't know what it means, except I'm not sure I can say what you want me to say."

Kurt makes his way to the nearest bench along the sidewalk and sits down, staring at the cars passing by while he tries to calm down enough to speak again. "Fine," he finally says almost sharply. "Just say that you aren't attracted to _me_, then."

"Is that really what you want me to say?" Finn asks. "If that's what'll make you happy, I'll say it."

"What would make me _happy_ isn't really what we're discussing here, now is it?" Kurt whispers. "What would make me happy… I don't think you're able to say that, either."

"It's just, it's a lot, you know?" Finn asks. "I never really thought about it before, but now I'm thinking about it, and now I'm confused, and I don't know what I'm supposed to say."

Kurt closes his eyes, again willing himself not to cry. Of _course_ a tiny part of his mind had wished that he would confess everything to Finn only to be met by a similar declaration of hidden feelings on Finn's part. Because of that, he was even slightly prepared for that outcome, just like he'd tried very hard to prepare himself for what he had thought the most likely outcome. He isn't prepared for this limbo state, however, and he has no idea what he is supposed to say, either.

Long moments pass before Kurt clears his throat and looks over at Finn. "You may as well sit down, too," he suggests quietly.

"Is that a good idea? I think I forgot how to tell if something is a good idea or not," Finn confesses.

Kurt shrugs. "I'm not going to be getting up and moving anytime soon, but if you really want to do your best bodyguard impression, I suppose there's nothing stopping you."

Finn sits down heavily next to Kurt, hands still in pockets. "I think people passing by would start worrying about you."

"A first in Lima," Kurt mutters under his breath. Perhaps it's not a fair statement, but the only people currently in Lima that he can truly visualize being worried about him are his dad and Carole, along with Mercedes, Mike, and possibly Finn himself.

"Do you need a drink of water or something?" Finn asks suddenly.

Kurt snorts. "More like a mixed drink. I haven't felt this much like drinking since that day in sophomore year that I ended up puking on Ms. Pillsbury. Pillsbury-Schuester now, I suppose."

"I can't buy you a drink, but probably if you came back to campus with me, I could find you one," Finn offers.

"I don't think that would be a very good idea," Kurt says softly. "My going to your campus, that is."

"Puck's probably not there. He usually disappears after five," Finn says. "So it's cool, if you wanted to."

"Finn, _please_ think about how that sounds to me," Kurt says. He feels wrung out and desperate, and not sure how his planned quiet dinner with his 'brother' has become this. "Think about it for just a moment, and then decide if you really want to say that."

Finn sits quietly for a while before sighing. "Sorry. I just meant that if you were feeling upset or didn't want to go back to the house yet, you wouldn't have to worry about Puck asking you questions or anything. I didn't mean for that to upset you."

Kurt musters up a tiny smile in Finn's direction and nods once. He sighs a little, then turns to Finn. "I want to ask you a different question, then."

"Is it more or less complicated?" Finn asks.

"I have no idea," Kurt admits. "I'm not sure there's any part of this that's not complicated."

"Yeah, I think maybe not," Finn agrees.

"So… are you telling me that there _is_ a possibility, however small?" Kurt asks, carefully not looking directly at Finn.

Finn shrugs, looking helpless. "I mean, like I said, I never _thought_ about it before ever, but now I'm thinking about it, and it's not, like," he pauses, looking upwards like he's grasping for a word, "bad, I guess? It's doesn't sound like a bad thing, I just don't know what it does sound like. Is that terrible? I don't want to sound terrible."

Kurt shakes his head, because it's more than he ever expected. He decides to pinch himself quickly, just to make sure that he isn't dreaming. Leaving McKinley after Blaine's proposal and drinking until he passed out _had_ briefly seemed like a good idea, after all. The pinch does hurt, however, and nothing changes, all of which indicates that he and Finn are actually having this conversation.

"A maybe of sorts," Kurt muses. He falls silent again, trying to decide how to move forward, because he had hoped for a way out of limbo, not to go deeper into it. Kurt loses track of how long he sits there on the bench next to Finn, turning over different scenarios in his mind, and finally he sighs. "I have an idea," he announces.

"That's good," Finn says. "'Cause I don't have any and it's starting to get a little cold out here."

"We should walk again," Kurt decides, and he stands up. "And I'll tell you what I thought of, and you can tell me if you think it's something possible or not."

Finn stands up, too, nodding as he does so. "Okay, that sounds like a plan."

"What if," Kurt says slowly, "you and I worked at communicating more. Becoming more emotionally close, I suppose you could say. We could each see other people without any issue, but we talked more often? And then I suppose after a bit, we could reevaluate."

Finn doesn't answer at first, but finally he nods again. "Okay. I think we could do that. I don't know what's going to happen, though."

"Neither do I." Kurt wraps his arms more tightly around himself, tucking his hands up into his sleeves. "I suppose I also thought it would give you more time to think. Since, as you said, you hadn't really considered it previously."

"Time's good," Finn agrees. "I kind of have a lot of new stuff happening already, and this is really big new stuff."

"Sorry," Kurt says wryly. "I didn't really think about that. Everything just— reached a boiling point today."

"It's okay." Finn shrugs. "You've been carrying it around for three years. I guess I can deal with it for a couple of months until the semester's over, right?"

"Right," Kurt echoes faintly. "I, um. I hate to ask for anything else, but if you could— I just don't always want to be the one initiating a conversation."

"Sure. Just let me know when you have classes and stuff, okay?"

"Too often." Kurt shakes his head. "There's nothing quite so exciting as 'Business Structure of the Music Industry'. I registered late," he explains, "so that was the only required course that fit with the rest of my schedule. The rest of the class is juniors."

"That class sounds really boring," Finn says.

"It's awful," Kurt agrees. "To make matters worse, it's at 8 in the morning."

"Maybe you should change majors or something," Finn suggests. "I'm not sure if that would help, but that's what everybody in my classes say they're going to do when they don't like the classes they're taking."

Kurt shakes his head and laughs. "No, but I'm already planning on the gloating I'll be doing in two more years, when the rest of my year has to suffer through the course. I already have to stay all summer to catch up, so I need something to amuse myself."

"We could start playing Words With Friends or something," Finn offers.

"You have a burning need to lose regularly?" Kurt says, raising an eyebrow. "And did I hear correctly that you're taking summer classes as well?"

"Yeah, I'm kind of behind, too," Finn says. "If I take summer classes, I can get started on the stuff for my major in the fall."

"Which is what, exactly?" Kurt asks curiously, because he never did actually hear from anyone what Finn had finally settled on.

"Education," Finn says.

"What kind? Please tell me you aren't going to attempt to teach Spanish."

Finn laughs and shakes his head. "Nah, I wouldn't try. I'm doing elementary education. I thought about trying to teach high school, but I guess you have to be good at a specific subject for that."

"I suppose at least with elementary, you get to do a little of everything?" Kurt says. "You probably won't get bored or in a rut."

"I just hope the kids aren't scared of me," Finn confesses.

"Why would they be?" Kurt asks. "You'll probably be the most popular teacher. Especially if you could please refrain from sweaters with chalkboards and apples appliqued onto them."

"I don't think they make those in my size."

"Thank god." Kurt winces and shakes his head, then frowns. "Finn, have we been walking in a circle?"

"Yeah," Finn says. "I thought you knew."

"I hadn't noticed," Kurt admits. "I suppose we should go. I did promise Dad I'd spend an hour or two with him tonight, since my flight's so early tomorrow."

Finn nods his head slowly. "So, we just talk a lot? That's how we figure it all out?"

"Talk, text, email, post random things on each other's Facebook walls, something," Kurt says. "I don't know if it'll help us figure _all_ of it out, but it certainly can't hurt."

"And I'll be thinking about it," Finn says. "A lot, probably."

"Just don't neglect your homework. Or watching where you walk. Though at least your classrooms probably don't have people practicing stage fighting."

Finn looks baffled by that, but just shakes his head. "No, they don't have that."

Kurt stops in front of the car. "I suppose I'll see you in a couple of months, then." He's not sure what to do next; a day ago, the two of them would have exchanged a hug, but there's extra knowledge there, now. Finn also looks briefly confused about what he should do, but after a short pause, he smiles at Kurt.

"Come here," Finn says, putting his arms out again. "If I can't hug you goodbye, then stuff's _really_ going to feel weird."

Kurt huffs a little laugh but steps into Finn's arms, wrapping his own around Finn's back. "I guess so," he mumbles into Finn's chest. He pulls back and looks up. "Don't let Puck talk you into anything _too_ dumb, okay?"

"Never," Finn promises. "Or, not a lot, anyway."

"Good enough, I suppose," Kurt says with a smile as he pulls back. "Bye, Finn."

"Bye, Kurt. I'll talk to you soon."

Kurt raises his hand in a brief wave and climbs into the car, taking the longest route home that he possibly can. He needs far more time to collect himself, especially before spending time with Burt, but he realizes as he parks at the house that he has a decently good reason to be somewhat scattered, given Blaine's failed proposal.

It isn't until Kurt puts his key in the door that he realizes his dad may already know about it, thanks to Sam. Kurt doesn't know if New Directions had plans to go out after Regionals, however, and he's relieved when he realizes his father doesn't have any idea. It gives Kurt a chance to talk about it, and how it made him feel, without anyone else's perspective skewing Burt's reaction.

Or at least that's what Kurt thinks up until the moment, twenty-five minutes into their conversation, when he finds out Blaine had approached Burt, and instead of asking Blaine if he was crazy, considering Kurt and Blaine are no longer dating, Burt had merely counseled Blaine to _wait_.

Fifteen minutes after that, Kurt thinks that he's managed to convince Burt that he and Blaine will never be getting back together, and all without accidentally revealing any of his other secrets. Kurt finally falls into bed, emotionally exhausted, and that's probably the only reason he sleeps at all.

The flight gives Kurt time to think; perhaps too much time, even, but when Kurt lands in New York, he sends out three texts instead of two. One to Rachel, so she'll be aware that he's on his way home; another to Burt, so he won't worry; and the third to Finn.

_Landed safely_ the text to Finn reads. _Now I merely have to find a taxi._

_**Good luck!**_ Finn texts back.

Kurt smiles a little to himself, and maybe there was some luck in Finn's text, because Kurt does find a taxi more quickly than sometimes. He waits until after he's unpacked and eaten a late lunch before texting Adam, knowing Adam's likely studying for his midterms. Kurt feels vaguely uneasy as he sends a message to Adam, but he's not sure who or what he feels uneasy about. He was upfront with Finn, that both of them would still be seeing other people, and it's not as if anything had happened that he should mention to Adam. His feelings for Finn are no different than they were before he flew to Lima. Kurt sighs a little and puts down his phone, barely keeping up with Rachel's chatter.

Over the course of the next week, Kurt and Finn don't necessarily speak about anything of any particular substance, but Kurt at least feels that he knows more about Finn's day to day life again, which is strangely comforting. Kurt also goes to lunch twice with Adam and goes to Callbacks on Friday night with Rachel, and he waits until just after noon on Saturday before deciding to pick up the phone and actually call Finn. It's good they both have unlimited texting, and the funny pictures Finn's left on Kurt's wall are definitely amusing, but Kurt thinks that too much contact without speaking to one another won't benefit them, in the end. Santana is at work and Rachel's out, having booked a practice room for a two hour block, making it a good time to lie on the couch and talk to Finn.

Kurt scrolls through his contacts, but before pressing talk, he goes to edit his Favorites page. "There," he says quietly to himself when he's finished. He's finally removed Blaine, and reinstated Finn, and with that done, he hits Finn's name and listens to it ring.

"Hello?" Finn says.

"Hi, Finn," Kurt says. "I hope this isn't a bad time?"

"Nah. Puck's out on a date, or whatever Puck's version of a date is, and I'm just watching some TV."

"I managed to get the apartment to myself. It's rare. I considered locking them out, but decided they might retaliate." Kurt forces a laugh at the end, but he's not precisely kidding. Some days, living with Rachel and Santana is a great deal of fun and a source of support, albeit covert support on Santana's part. Other days, calling it a nightmare would be kind.

"It's still kind of weird, you living with the two of them," Finn says.

Kurt snorts. "You don't know the half of it. Fear of retaliation really is all that keeps me in check at times."

"As long as you three don't all sit around and talk about me," Finn says with a laugh.

"No more than anyone else from Lima, and possibly less," Kurt assures him. "This week we've been supporting Santana in her twice-monthly listing of all of Sam's faults."

"Is she still mad at him about the Brittany thing? They aren't even together anymore, I don't think."

"No, they're not, and I'm not sure if she's still angry or if it's merely habit now. I didn't mind, however, since apparently Sam was aware of Blaine's plan to propose and did not see fit to warn me." Kurt pauses. "Dad knew, too."

"Yeah," Finn says, sounding almost guilty. "Me and Burt might've talked about that a couple of times since you went back to New York."

"I don't know what he was thinking," Kurt says, and he knows his frustration is audible. "Telling Blaine just to wait! I suppose I should have been more upfront with Dad about why exactly Blaine and I broke up, for starters."

"Yeah, maybe so," Finn says. "He might have had another heart attack trying to run Blaine down, though."

Kurt giggles a little. "Possibly. On the bright side, I'm hoping that my turning down his proposal will make Blaine rethink NYADA, even if he does get a letter about being a finalist."

"Yeah, that would be awkward," Finn says. The noise of the television increases slightly in the background, and Finn laughs.

"What are you watching?" Kurt asks.

"Kitchen Nightmares. I usually miss it on Friday night, so I watch it the next day," Finn explains.

"Don't tell me anything!" Kurt says quickly. "I haven't watched last night's yet!"

"Hey, you watch it, too? That's awesome! Next week, we should DVR it and then watch it at the same time," Finn says. "Like a TV night date or something."

"Okay," Kurt agrees, smiling to himself. "That sounds good. Sometimes, depending on the restaurant, I try to find a similar one nearby. Finding a Mediterranean kabob room was a little difficult back in February, though."

"I like to look up reviews of the restaurant ahead of time to see if I can guess whether or not it got any better," Finn says.

"Ooh, I hadn't thought about doing that," Kurt admits. "I find myself laughing more than is possibly polite."

"There's no such thing as polite in a kitchen like that," Finn intones.

Kurt giggles again. "No, not sometimes."

"You want me to pause it until you catch up?"

"Sure!" Kurt agrees, grabbing the remote. "What kind of cuisine is it this week?"

"Italian, or it's supposed to be, anyway," Finn says. "Hey, so if we put the phones on speaker and set them down next to us, it's almost like we're hanging out in real life."

"That's true." Kurt does put his phone on speaker and sets it carefully next to the remote. He listens for a moment. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to pop some popcorn," Finn answers. "I can't share through the phone, though, so you'll have to make your own."

"I just finished lunch before I called," Kurt admits. "Next week."

"The popcorn is my lunch. Next week we'll plan ahead."

Watching Kitchen Nightmares on Saturday afternoon quickly becomes a standing date, and by the time the season finale rolls around, both of them are prepared to watch the episode about a baking company with slices of cake. "This is _golden_," Kurt says through his laughter near the end of the episode. "Also, how much plastic surgery do we think this woman has had?"

"I think the real question is what plastic surgery hasn't she had?" Finn replies. "Her skin's so tight I think her eyes might pop out."

"I think it would have been helpful if at some point in her life, she actually had to endure criticism," Kurt says, stifling more giggles. "I almost want to go to Scottsdale, now."

"We should take a road trip," Finn says through his own laughter. "Or maybe we can fly to same place closer and road trip from there. I think New York to Arizona is a long drive."

"Las Vegas?" Kurt suggests. "Airfare to Las Vegas is supposed to be cheap, isn't it?"

"As soon as we both turn 21," Finn agrees.

"No real point in going sooner. Speaking of birthdays, it _is_ May already."

"Do you have big plans yet?" Finn asks.

Kurt shakes his head. "No, nothing yet."

"Anything you want for your birthday?"

"Other than a shopping spree on Fifth Avenue, and a larger closet space?" Kurt giggles.

"I don't think I can ship those," Finn says.

"Probably not." Kurt looks up as he hears the door creak. "Oh."

"What? Is your DVR being weird again?"

"Oh, no, it's— hang on." Kurt smiles at Adam, but he knows he probably looks strange. "You're early."

"I finished with my study group sooner than expected," Adam says. "Am I interrupting?"

"Sorry, Finn," Kurt says towards the phone. "Adam's here a little early."

"Oh." There's a long pause before Finn asks, "Did he want to watch Kitchen Nightmares with us?"

"Who are you talking to, Kurt?" Adam asks.

"Uh. Adam, my brother, Finn," Kurt settles on. "Finn, Adam."

"Hey, Adam," Finn says. Kurt is sure he can hear Finn waving. "Commercial break's almost over, so if you're watching, you have to be a quiet watcher."

"Ah, okay," Adam says, looking perplexed, and he sits down beside Kurt, on the side not occupied by the phone. He puts his arm around Kurt's shoulders and kisses Kurt's cheek, and Kurt fights the urge to bolt, quickly end the call, or both at the same time.

Finn's much more quiet than usual for the remainder of the show, and when the credits start, Kurt picks up his phone. "I'll talk to you later," he says. "Good luck on your finals."

"Thanks. You, too," Finn replies, a little more tersely than usual. "Bye."

"Bye, Finn." Kurt ends the call and turns towards Adam with what he hopes is a genuine smile. "Let me just change."

"No hurry," Adam assures him, returning the smile, and Kurt slips into his bedroom area with a deep sigh.

He hadn't anticipated the overlap of Finn and Adam, and Kurt scowls angrily at his reflection. He's not being fair to Adam, he knows that is probably the case, but he couldn't explain anything about Finn to Adam, either.

After the play and dinner, Kurt double-checks that Rachel and Santana will be out, and he invites Adam upstairs. Adam is as sweet as he always is, and the two of them together have a great deal of fun, but as Kurt falls asleep, he can't help but wish, in the back of his mind, that the person in bed with him was Finn instead of Adam.

Two weeks later on a very bright and already warm Saturday morning, Kurt is finishing his second bagel when there's a knock on the door to the loft. Rachel jumps up and heads to the door.

"I wasn't expecting anyone this morning! Do you think it's a delivery? Or maybe Santana forgot her key again…" Rachel's voice trails off as she opens the door. "Oh! Finn!"

Kurt starts and peers towards the door where, yes, Finn is in fact standing. Rachel preens a little, finger-combing her hair and smoothing her shirt, and Kurt shakes his head, refraining from rolling his eyes.

"I had no idea you were coming to visit," Rachel continues. "If I had known, I could have cleared my schedule, but as it is I—"

"Uh, no that's fine," Finn cuts in. "I'm actually here to see Kurt." He waves at Kurt over Rachel's head.

"Hello, Finn," Kurt says with a grin that he knows is, perhaps, a little too smug. "Luckily, my schedule _is_ clear."

Rachel turns around to look incredulously at Kurt, then back at Finn. "Well, I— I— I had no idea," she finally manages to get out.

"It's his birthday weekend," Finn says, as though that should explain everything.

"Oh, yes, of course. It's nice of you to surprise him." Rachel shoots Kurt an undecipherable look and then walks off to her bedroom area. Kurt sighs and stands up, walking towards the door.

"Come in," he says to Finn. "Unless I'm being kidnapped?"

"Not yet," Finn answers enigmatically. He has a small bag on his shoulder, which he sets down on the floor. "Bagels!"

"Saturday morning in New York," Kurt says. "I'm still developing a taste for lox, though." He smiles at Finn. "It's good to see you."

"You, too," Finn says. He puts his arms around Kurt and gives him a longer–than–usual hug. "Happy almost birthday."

"This is a nice present," Kurt admits.

"I guess if that's all you want for your birthday," Finn says, finally releasing Kurt. "I can just return your real present."

"No, no," Kurt says quickly. "Do I have to wait until Monday?"

"No. Tomorrow."

Kurt pouts. "Give me a hint?"

Finn appears to think it over briefly before answering, "You'll need sunscreen."

"Luckily, I just bought a fresh bottle for the summer," Kurt says, trying to think of why he might need sunscreen. "You're not taking me to the Statue of Liberty, are you? Because I think she's still closed."

"I'm not telling you anything else, so no point in guessing," Finn says. "Sorry."

"Does that mean I get to decide what we're doing today, then?"

"I hope so, 'cause I have no idea," Finn confesses. "Though probably we have to eat a hot dog at some point, right?"

"Pizza, too," Kurt agrees. He can feel how wide he must be smiling. "Any other special requests?"

"Just whatever you think we should do," Finn says. "You don't have plans with Adam later or anything?" Kurt hears an odd note in Finn's voice when he says 'Adam', almost like bitterness, and Kurt mentally rolls his eyes at himself and reminds himself to stop imagining things.

"No." Kurt shakes his head and then lowers his voice. "Unless you really wanted her to interrogate us, we should leave soon."

"Lead the way!"

Kurt picks up his wallet and keys and heads out of the loft with a quick goodbye shouted in Rachel's direction. As they head down the stairs, Finn presses his hand to Kurt's lower back and leaves it there even after they finish the stairs and head out of the building.

"Did you want to just walk around for a bit?" Kurt asks, and he can acknowledge to himself he's hoping for a yes solely so Finn won't yet have a reason to move his hand.

"That sounds good," Finn replies. "Anywhere in particular?"

"Hmm. We can just see what we find. I keep discovering new little shops and restaurants," Kurt confesses. "There's always something changing."

Finn nods, his hand still on Kurt's back, and the two of them spend the day wandering around Brooklyn. Around noon, they decide to buy a pickle at any restaurant that offers one, to at least try it, and by the evening, Kurt's sure he'll either crave pickles or not want to see a pickle again for weeks. It's late before they return to the loft, the last bits of ice cream cones in hand, and Kurt puts a finger to his mouth as he unlocks the door.

"Shh. Either they're out, or they're asleep."

Finn nods. "Santana on the couch?"

"Yes," Kurt whispers, opening the door as quietly as he can.

"I can sleep on the floor if you want," Finn says softly as he follows Kurt into the loft.

"If that's what you'd rather do," Kurt says dubiously, "but I don't think you'd be very comfortable."

"Just offering, in case, you know." Finn shrugs. "Whatever you're comfortable with."

"Any residual discomfort is far outweighed by the guilt I would feel over leaving you on the floor," Kurt admits.

"That's a long way of saying it's cool if I sleep on the bed, right?"

"Yes, it is," Kurt says wryly, leading Finn towards his bedroom area.

"It's warm in here," Finn says. "It'll be bad by July."

"Don't remind me," Kurt says with a quiet groan as he pulls out a T-shirt and clean boxers. "I'm going to go wash up and brush my teeth, and then you can have the bathroom." He notices the residual long brown hairs in the sink that mean one of his roommates has already brushed her hair out before bed, and sighs. "How many times do I have to ask you two to clean up your dead hair?" he mutters to himself. He washes his face, moisturizes, and brushes his teeth quickly before changing and going back towards his bed. Finn has already changed as well, though Kurt winces at the old McKinley shirt seems to be more holes than shirt.

"Finn!" Kurt hisses. "I can't believe you packed that. What if the TSA workers had seen that?"

"Then they'd be jealous because it's just that comfortable," Finn says, gesturing with his toothbrush before swaggering off to the bathroom.

Kurt waits until he thinks Finn is out of earshot before giggling quietly, and he lies down as he listens to the water run. He _is_ a little uncomfortable, because he knows his bed is not that large and whether or not Finn intends to touch him at all during the night, they will touch. Finn seems okay with it, though, at least on the surface, and Kurt has managed to somewhat calm himself by the time Finn returns.

Finn stands at the foot of the bed for a few seconds before laughing once, quietly, and saying, "Cool."

"What?" Kurt asks. "What is it?"

"Just, you're on that side of the bed." Finn gestures to Kurt's side. "And I usually like to sleep on the other side, so that's cool, that we like the opposite sides."

"Oh. I didn't even think about it," Kurt admits. "Sorry, I should have asked."

"No, it's cool. It just works out without anybody having to ask." Finn climbs into bed next to Kurt, fluffing and then squishing the pillow.

"That's true." Kurt wills his muscles to relax. "Should I set an alarm for tomorrow?"

"As long as we're up by 10, I think we're good," Finn says. He sighs quietly and settles himself back against the bed. "Any guesses?"

"Hmm. Well, you didn't say I needed any specific clothes, so I've ruled out horseback riding and swimming," Kurt says. "As well as swimming while on horseback."

"Would the horse do the swimming? Or would you hold on to the horse while you swim?" Finn asks. He rolls onto his side, facing Kurt, but not touching him. "It's not that, though."

"The horse would swim, and good." Kurt sighs contentedly. "Thank you."

"You don't mind me just showing up like this?" Finn asks.

Kurt shakes his head. "No, not at all. And you know what Dad's schedule is like," Kurt adds, because Burt's political commitments had meant there was no way Kurt should expect to see Burt near Kurt's birthday.

"Yeah. I didn't check to make sure you weren't busy or anything first, though," Finn murmurs. "And I know that you don't always have great luck with people just showing up here."

Kurt giggles softly. "Well, you're the start of a better trend, then," he says, shifting so he can see out the window. "I like to watch all the lights at night."

"Yeah, it's pretty," Finn says quietly. He moves a little closer to Kurt, still not touching him, but close enough that Kurt can feel Finn's warm breath on the back of his neck. "So… can I tell you something?"

"Of course."

"You remember, back in Lima," Finn begins. "The last time we were both in Lima."

Kurt nods. "Yes."

"And how I mentioned that party. You remember that?"

Kurt nods again. "I remember." It wasn't the kind of thing that Kurt was likely to forget.

"So… you remember the day we were watching the Kitchen Nightmares finale, right?" Finn asks. "That day?"

"Yes. When we got interrupted."

"Yeah," Finn says. The bitter tone is back in Finn's voice, and this time Kurt is sure he isn't imagining it. "I went to a party that night."

Finn is slowly moving even closer to Kurt, and Kurt feels like if he shifted even slightly, Finn's lips would be on his neck. "Okay," Kurt says slowly.

"I ran into this guy there. I'd met him before, at that other party. The one I told you about," Finn says pointedly. His breath is hot on Kurt's neck, and Kurt resists the urge to wiggle backwards. He doesn't know if he wants to hear what he suspects Finn is going to say next, even though he knows he doesn't really have anything to stand on, considering his own activities that evening. He nods without speaking.

"I don't know why it happened, even. Maybe I was— I just don't know, I guess," Finn continues. "But he kissed me again."

Kurt realizes he's nodding almost automatically, because it's precisely what he was expecting and, admittedly, a little bit dreading. "And?"

"And I kissed him back for a while," Finn says, his voice dropping even lower. "But then I stopped."

"Why?" Kurt asks before he can stop himself.

"I told him I was sorry, but that if I was going to kiss a dude, it wasn't supposed to be him," Finn says. His lips just barely brush against the back of Kurt's neck.

"Oh," Kurt says quietly, and he swallows. "Well, that's, um." Kurt's not sure what exactly it is. It's something, something interesting at a minimum.

"Yeah, it is," Finn agrees, even though Kurt didn't say anything specific. Finn lips press softly against the back of Kurt's neck, then again on the side of his neck.

"Finn," Kurt murmurs. Finn puts his arm across Kurt's chest and continues softly kissing Kurt's neck. Kurt exhales slowly and relaxes, closing his eyes and putting one hand on Finn's arm.

"I've been thinking about it," Finn whispers against Kurt's neck. "I've been thinking _so_ much, Kurt."

Kurt nods, a small movement. "I missed you."

"I missed you, too," Finn says. He shifts so he can kiss farther around Kurt's neck, then up to his jaw and near his ear. "Kurt."

"This feels so good," Kurt says softly. He doesn't know whether or not to move, but Finn's arm is solid and his lips are soft against Kurt's skin.

Finn's mouth travels up to Kurt's cheek, pressing gentle kisses, and then his arm moves, sliding up Kurt's chest and shoulder, Finn's hand slowly settling on Kurt's face. Finn turns Kurt's face towards his with careful pressure, kissing the corner of Kurt's mouth, then his chin.

"Oh," Kurt whispers very quietly, and he opens his eyes for a brief moment, looking at Finn's face before closing them again and moving his mouth to hover next to Finn's.

"Kurt," Finn says again. He kisses the corner of Kurt's mouth once more, then the other corner.

"Finn." Kurt feels his lips curve upward just barely as he closes the last distance between his mouth and Finn's, and he slides one hand up Finn's chest and around his neck, resting it on the back of Finn's head. Finn increases the force of the kiss, moving his mouth against Kurt's almost hungrily, his tongue thrusting into Kurt's mouth as Finn pulls him closer. Kurt opens his mouth more, his jaw dropping open, and he presses against Finn. Kurt's fingers twist in Finn's hair, and Kurt hears himself almost whimper.

Finn keeps kissing Kurt for what feels like hours, his hand never leaving Kurt's face. He doesn't try to move his body against Kurt's or touch him anywhere but his face, kissing him intensely and like nothing else in the world is more important that Kurt's mouth under his. Kurt lets his mind drift, filled with nothing but the in the moment sensations of kissing Finn, and eventually they must kiss themselves to sleep. Kurt wakes up the next morning, as the sun peeks in the window, tucked under Finn's chin and being held in Finn's arms. Kurt studies Finn's face for a few moments and then tucks himself back under Finn's chin, a smile on his face. They only kissed, Kurt knows, but somehow it felt far more erotic than anything else he's previously done.

Kurt convinces himself to wait a few more minutes before he gets impatient and wants to know where Finn's taking him. "Finn," he whispers. "Finn, wake up. Where are we going?"

"Are we in the car?" Finn mumbles back.

Kurt giggles. "No. You said I needed sunscreen, so where are you taking me?"

"Oh. Hey," Finn says, sounding more awake this time. "Yeah, I can't tell you, sorry. You should get dressed to go, though. Shorts and T-shirt, comfortable shoes or sandals."

"I hope we're not going hiking," Kurt says. "I suppose that would mean no sandals, though."

"I think you'd probably be pissed at me if I took you hiking for your birthday," Finn points out.

"Well, yes." Kurt sits up slowly. "Do you want to eat breakfast here or should we plan on eating on the way to wherever it is?" Kurt may be fishing for more inadvertent hints, but it's still a legitimate question.

"We can grab something on the way," Finn says. "Did you sleep okay?"

Kurt nods. "I did. Did you? I know it was a little warm…"

"Wasn't a problem, actually," Finn answers. "Nice kind of warm."

Kurt smiles and slides off the bed, starting to look for something suitably casual per Finn's description. "Good," he says over his shoulder, still smiling. "I don't think anyone else is up, so I'm going to grab the bathroom. When you hear the shower turn off, run for the door, because if Santana gets in ahead of you, we'll never leave."

"I've got a stiff elbow," Finn says. "Wouldn't normally use it on a girl, but I think Santana's fair game."

"Oh, definitely. All is fair when it comes to the bathroom," Kurt agrees as he heads towards the shower. He does put on shorts and a T-shirt, though he's sure that his outfit is more coordinated and more expensive than whatever Finn will be wearing. He leaves the bathroom barefoot, still trying to decide between shoes or sandals, and raises an eyebrow when he opens the door to Santana glaring behind Finn.

"Good morning, Satan. All yours, Finn."

"Thank you, Kurt," Finn replies with exaggerated politeness. He walks into the bathroom and shuts the door behind him.

"What?" Kurt says to Santana, who is still glaring. "We'll be gone shortly and you can spend the entire day in the bathroom, if you want."

"Where are you going?" Santana asks suspiciously.

"Ask Finn." Kurt shrugs and heads back to his bedroom area, having finally decided on actual shoes. He spends the rest of the time Finn is in the bathroom applying sunscreen and deciding on a hat. If Finn's first thought was regarding sunscreen, Kurt will probably be glad for the extra protection of the hat.

When Finn comes back, Kurt squeaks, startled, because Finn's only wearing a towel. "Did you forget something?" Kurt asks.

Finn looks down at himself and then back up at Kurt, grinning sheepishly. "Yeah, I was in too much of a hurry to beat Santana to the bathroom. Left my clothes in my bag by the bed."

"Should we have water bottles?" Kurt asks. "I can go grab two of Santana's from the refrigerator."

"I think they'll let us bring them in," Finn says.

"Hmm. In, and some kind of 'they' monitoring it," Kurt says with a grin, then ducks out of his bedroom and heads towards the kitchen. He pulls two water bottles out and sets them on the counter, then turns around when he hears Rachel clear her throat.

"Stealing Santana's water bottles?"

"She _did_ eat my leftover wrap on Thursday," Kurt points out.

Rachel laughs. "Fair point. Where are you going?"

"I have no idea." Kurt shrugs a little as Finn reappears, now dressed, and Kurt nods to himself – he was right about being dressed similarly to Finn, down to the hat, though Finn's is a Reds hat.

"If I told him, it wouldn't be a surprise," Finn says. "I'm going to try to get a picture of his surprised face. I can text it to you, if you want," he adds, addressing Rachel.

Kurt makes a face at Finn as Rachel smiles. "Well, good. Take a video if you make anyone sing 'Happy Birthday' to him."

"No," Kurt insists, shaking his head.

"I'll post it straight to Facebook if I manage to get a paper birthday crown on him," Finn tells Rachel. "Make sure to tag everybody for me."

"I feel like I'm being ganged up on," Kurt says dryly. He picks up the water bottles again and hands one to Finn. "Should we go?"

Finn mimes something to Rachel that may be taking a picture, then smiles widely at Kurt. "Yep. We have to catch the subway and then a bus."

"Well, lead on," Kurt says brightly. "Bye, Rachel."

"Bye, Kurt. Have fun!"

Kurt raises his eyebrows once, on the subway, when he realizes they're headed towards the Port Authority Bus Terminal, but Finn's smile just widens in response. When they arrive, all Kurt learns is that they're taking Bus Route 308, and he decides to try his pout on Finn again.

"How long are you going to make me wait? We can't be going that far!"

"You have to wait until we get there," Finn says. "Sorry."

Kurt frowns and then briefly sticks out his tongue. "Are you going to blindfold me and make me wear earbuds so I don't hear anyone discussing it?"

"Did you _want_ me to blindfold you?"

"Not in public," Kurt retorts, then covers his mouth with one hand. "Oh my god."

Finn starts laughing, and every time he looks back at Kurt, he laughs even harder.

"Stop!" Kurt hisses. "Oh my _god_!"

Kurt's dismay not only doesn't stop Finn from laughing, but actually makes Finn laugh more, until he's laughing so hard that his eyes water. The other passengers on the bus turn and stare at Finn. Kurt can feel his cheeks turning red, and he ducks his head, turning it to the side to watch Finn. After several minutes, Finn's laughter tapers off, and he wipes his eyes, occasionally still giggling.

"Sorry," Finn manages, as he tries to catch his breath. "Funny."

"Oh my god," Kurt repeats, shaking his head. "At least I don't need any earplugs."

Finn settles back in his seat, occasionally still laughing quietly, and rests his hand on Kurt's leg. Kurt shakes his head twice, and he notices that the rest of the bus has stopped staring.

"We're going south," Kurt notes. "So we're not going to Connecticut or Long Island."

"Nope," Finn agrees cheerfully. Kurt sighs and shakes his head again, because Finn is proving far too good at not giving any hints. The bus ride lasts over an hour before the bus slows for an exit.

"_Now_?" Kurt asks.

"Maybe."

"Finnnnn," Kurt whines exaggeratedly. "I really don't think you brought me this far to go to—" Kurt peers out the window. "Jackson Premium Outlets."

"You don't like discount shopping?" Finn asks with an exaggerated frown.

"I know you didn't bring me to Jackson, New Jersey, for it."

"I might could have!"

"Doubtful. I'm going to assume no… paintball, either?"

"Maybe paintball," Finn says.

"I don't think there's a bus from Manhattan just to go to paintball," Kurt rationalizes. Finn doesn't answer, but he does point at the window. "Six— Six Flags Great Adventure!" Kurt grins. "Ooh, this'll be fun!"

"It's good?" Finn asks. Kurt turns to nod, taking in the nervous look on Finn's face.

"It is! I haven't been to any amusement park at all since Skip Day last year. But no log flume!" Kurt warns.

"The log flume's the best!" Finn argues.

"I think it's possible my shirt could turn me turquoise," Kurt says. "If it got wet, I mean."

"Aw, come on," Finn pleads. "It'll wash off, I bet."

"I'll let you run out to buy the necessary bottles of rubbing alcohol, then," Kurt says with a small grin. He could also at least try asking for help scrubbing, but not on the bus, not after they already were the center of attention.

By the time they board the bus back to New York City, both of them are slightly sunburnt, in spite of their sunscreen, and Kurt knows he probably smells the same as Finn, like sweat, chlorinated water, and zeppole. Kurt rests his head on Finn's shoulder as the bus enters the highway again. "This was really fun," Kurt murmurs. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Finn says. "Happy birthday, Kurt."

"Almost." Kurt grins. "You really ought to stop saying I'm the little one, you know."

"You _are_ the little one!" Finn insists.

"Everyone's _shorter_ than you." Kurt closes his eyes. "But I'm older. And therefore wiser."

"Older, wiser, and littler," Finn agrees.

"Okay." Kurt smiles to himself, and the next thing he registers is the Bus Terminal. "Did I fall asleep?"

"Maybe a little bit," Finn says.

"Hungry?" Kurt asks as the bus stops.

"Hi, we just met. I'm your step-brother, Finn, and I'm kind of huge."

"Okay, well. Pizza, chinese, or burgers and milkshakes?"

"Yes," Finn says.

"Oh, or DuMont has burgers and hot doughnuts," Kurt says. "We should go there."

"Do they put the meat on the doughnuts?" Finn asks. "Like, doughnut buns? 'Cause that would be awesome."

"I'm sure you could ask them to?" Kurt shrugs. "Why not." Finn does, in fact, order his burger with the patty between two warm doughnuts, and while Kurt declines trying a bite, Finn seems to enjoy it.

"That was officially awesome," Finn says as they leave DuMont. "I think they should name it after me and put it on the menu."

"The FinnBurger?" Kurt asks. "It could catch on." It's a bit of a walk back to the loft, but after the hour plus on the bus and the subway, Kurt doesn't mind. He also hopes that they might get extraordinarily lucky and get back after both of his roommates are asleep, but he can tell while still outside the door that he will not be quite that lucky. Kurt opens the door with a quiet sigh, and Santana and Rachel swivel their heads towards them.

"Where did you go?" Rachel asks before Kurt can even close the door behind them.

"You didn't want to take Finn out to Fire Island?" Santana adds.

"No, I didn't, and we were in New Jersey," Kurt responds.

"Why on earth would you go to New Jersey?" Rachel says incredulously. "What's in Jersey?"

"Awesomeness," Finn says. "And Great Adventure."

"Great Adventure?" Santana repeats. "You took Hummel to Great Adventure for his birthday?"

"It was fun," Kurt says, a little defensively. "I think we managed to get on all of the coasters."

"And we didn't lose our hats or anything," Finn adds. "It was a lot of fun. Kurt likes amusement parks. Remember Senior Skip Day?"

"I had never seen you run that fast before that day, Kurt," Rachel admits. "But you two do look a little sunburnt."

"I have aloe," Kurt says dismissively.

"See?" Finn says. "He has aloe!"

"Do you even know what aloe _is_?" Santana asks Finn.

"Some kind of lotion?" Finn answers. "Probably expensive?"

Kurt shakes his head barely. "Green gel," he hisses under his breath.

"Oh, it's that goopy stuff for sunburns!" Finn grins at Santana. "Totally know what it is."

"Which we're going to go utilize now," Kurt says, walking towards his bedroom. "Good night, ladies."

"Good night, Kurt!" Rachel says brightly. "Good night, Finn. I'll be gone most of the morning tomorrow, Kurt, don't forget."

"I'm leaving early, so, uh, bye Rachel!" Finn says as he follows Kurt to his bedroom.

"Bye, Finn," Rachel says, and a moment later, Kurt hears an echoed goodbye from Santana.

"Aloe," Kurt says a moment later, hefting the bottle he had purchased along with the sunscreen. "You have some back in your dorm?"

"Uh."

"When you go buy your books for the summer session, buy some," Kurt instructs.

"Will do," Finn says.

Kurt smiles. "Good." He takes off his hat and then his shoes, stifling a yawn. "Now I'm tired," he half-whines.

"Aww, now I'm sorry I surprised you with an awesome birthday, 'cause you're so tired," Finn teases.

"You're not sorry," Kurt retorts. "You're not sorry at all."

"I'm thinking about being sorry," Finn says.

Kurt stifles a laugh. "Why waste your time?" he asks. "I'm going to brush my teeth. And then I'm going to thoroughly enjoy lying down." Kurt finishes as quickly as he can, ignoring whatever it is Rachel and Santana are discussing, and he's lying on his side, staring out the window, when Finn returns.

"I think the back of your neck looks sunburned," Finn whispers as he lies down beside Kurt.

"Oh?" Kurt asks quietly. "It doesn't hurt."

"You sure?"

"You could always check, I suppose."

Finn lightly runs a fingertip down the back of Kurt's neck. "Does that hurt?"

Kurt shakes his head slowly. "No. It doesn't."

"Good to know," Finn says. He kisses the back of Kurt's neck. "That?"

"Not at all." Kurt smiles to himself. "I appreciate your willingness to check thoroughly, though."

"It's a full-service surprise birthday," Finn explains. "We did go to Jersey, you know."

Kurt laughs for a few seconds. "That is true." Kurt shifts and turns to face Finn. "I had a really good time."

"Me, too. The whole visit."

"All of it?" Kurt says lightly, teasing Finn a bit.

"You didn't have a good time for all of it?" Finn asks. "I don't have to come back or anything."

Kurt makes a face at Finn's grin. "Don't be ridiculous."

"I wish I could stay longer," Finn says. "I don't really want to go tomorrow."

"Yeah." Kurt nods. "But I suppose flying back on the first day of summer classes wouldn't be very much fun, if you waited until Tuesday."

"Probably not," Finn agrees. He moves his head closer to Kurt's, so their noses are almost touching. "Not sure when I can come back."

"I know. I don't know when I'll have time to come back to Lima, either."

"So, do we just keep doing what we were doing? Seeing other people and waiting to see where this goes?" Finn asks. He touches the tip of his nose to Kurt's.

"Yeah," Kurt says very softly. "I'm going to miss you."

"Yeah," Finn whispers back. He presses his lips against Kurt's, leaving them there for a brief moment before pulling away. "More than I thought I would, even. And I thought I probably would miss you a lot."

"We'll figure something out," Kurt says optimistically, cupping Finn's head in his hand and leaning in to kiss Finn. "Right?" he says as he pulls back a moment later.

"Right," Finn agrees, moving in to kiss Kurt again before he even finishes getting the word out. Kurt decides that further conversation isn't necessary for the rest of the evening, and he puts his other arm around Finn's neck as well, pulling Finn closer. Finn puts his arm around Kurt, his hand curling around the nape of Kurt's neck while they kiss.

Minutes pass, the two of them kissing quietly, and Kurt runs his hand over Finn's tricep before resting it just above Finn's waist. Kurt deepens the kiss, letting Finn's hand hold him in place, then pushes his fingers under the hem of Finn's T-shirt. Finn startles, then wiggles his body closer to Kurt, trailing his fingertips through Kurt's hair. Kurt moves his entire hand under Finn's shirt, slowly pushing the fabric up and exposing Finn's skin.

Finn runs his hand down Kurt's spine to the waistband of his boxers. He slips the very tips of his fingers underneath the elastic and presses against Kurt's lower back. Kurt can hear the low moan he makes into Finn's mouth, and he moves his hand higher on Finn's chest, spreading his fingers wide. Finn responds by spreading his own fingers across Kurt's lower back, and Kurt marvels again that Finn's hand can cover so much of Kurt's back at one time. Kurt pushes Finn's T-shirt even higher, then moves his other hand to it as well, trying to tug it off, or as much as he can while they're still kissing.

Finn laughs against Kurt's lips and pulls away, reaching for the neck of his shirt to pull it over his head. Once the shirt is off, Finn lets it drop on the bed and begins tugging on the bottom of Kurt's shirt, bringing it up and over Kurt's head. Kurt pulls his arms out with a low laugh of his own, and he registers his T-shirt falling off the bed and then onto the floor, with Finn's following a few seconds later. Kurt puts his hands back on Finn's chest, fingers slightly spread, and moves them slowly up and down.

Kurt watches Finn's face as Kurt lightly trails his fingers over Finn's stomach and then up around his nipples. Finn's skin is soft under Kurt's hands, and Kurt feels himself smile, small at first and then wider as he continues. "Finn," Kurt whispers, and even he can hear the delight in his voice.

Finn runs the back of his hand down the center of Kurt's chest, then flips his hand over to skate his fingers across Kurt's stomach. Finn seems almost entranced, staring at his hand and Kurt's torso, and Kurt bites his lip, watching Finn.

"Okay?" Kurt asks quietly.

"Yeah," Finn answers. His voice is husky, and his breathing is a little heavy. "Different, but it's nice."

Kurt nods once, leaning in to kiss Finn again, slowly. Kurt's fingertips run over Finn's chest, and he wiggles forward slightly. Finn shakes a little with silent laughs as they kiss, and Kurt moves his fingers again, grinning against Finn's lips.

"Hey!" Finn protests, squirming away from Kurt's fingers.

"I'm going to remember you're ticklish," Kurt promises, laughing quietly.

"But not you?" Finn asks, fluttering his fingers against Kurt's skin.

"You'll have to find out," Kurt says, still smiling.

Finn taps his fingertips lightly along Kurt's sides. "Nothing?"

Kurt shakes his head. "Nope."

"Warmer or colder?" Finn moves his fingertips higher on Kurt's sides.

"Hmm. Colder."

Finn slides his fingers around to the center of Kurt's chest. "How about now?"

"Mmm. Ah, still cold," Kurt admits.

Finn slowly trails his fingertips down Kurt's chest to his stomach. "Warmer?"

"A little bit." Kurt stretches his arms above his head.

"Maybe, here?" Finn asks, tracing a circle around Kurt's navel.

Kurt shakes his head. "Not there, either."

Finn's fingers slide lower, to the waistband of Kurt's boxers again. "Warmer?"

"Yes," Kurt admits.

Finn presses his palm against Kurt's stomach, not moving his hand any lower. Finn is breathing more audibly than before, his attention highly focused. An almost anguished sigh emanates from him, and he says, "Fuck it, I'll look next time!" before crushing his lips against Kurt's, his hand spreading across Kurt's stomach.

Kurt moves one arm, wrapping it around Finn and pulling Finn against him. Kurt feels like the moment they stop kissing, he will be on the verge of saying 'I love you', and while he knows that Finn _knows_ that, he doesn't know if it's the best thing to say in that moment. He runs his other hand through Finn's hair, trying to memorize as much as possible, because he truly doesn't know when he and Finn will have even two days together again.

Kurt must fall asleep while they're kissing for a second night, because Kurt wakes up in the same position as Sunday morning, this time to the sound of Finn's phone alarm. "No," Kurt mumbles. "Why's your flight so early?"

Finn presses a kiss to the top of Kurt's head. "You stay here and sleep more. No reason for both of us to have to get up so early," he says, the regret in his voice obvious.

"Are you sure?" Kurt whispers. "I can go with you to the airport."

Finn slides his arm out from underneath Kurt and sits up. "I think it would be too hard that way," Finn answers softly. "I don't know if I could— I just think it would be too hard."

"Okay." Kurt nods. "Let me know when you get back safely, please?"

"I will." Finn stands and picks up his bag, looking briefly around Kurt's room. "I'll change on the way out so I don't disturb anybody." He leans over the bed and places a soft kiss on Kurt's lips. "Happy birthday, Kurt."

"Already was," Kurt says quietly. "Bye, Finn."

Finn nods in response, then turns and walks out of Kurt's room. A minute or so later, Kurt can hear the door to the loft slide open and the close behind Finn. Kurt sighs loudly and drops his head on his pillow. He has no idea when he'll see Finn again, and even though he hadn't anticipated Finn's visit or expected it, he knows he's going to have a tiny part of him hope every time there's an unexpected knock on the door.

Kurt sleeps for another hour before getting up and slowly picking up his shirt, and Finn's, off the floor. He buries his face in Finn's shirt for a long moment, then slides it over his head. The girls might notice, or they might not, but he knows they probably won't think anything particular of it. Kurt spends the rest of the morning sulking in the loft, still wearing Finn's shirt, until Rachel and Santana announce they're going out for lunch, where Kurt is presented with a cheesecake with twenty brightly burning candles as soon as they finish their sandwiches.

After Kurt takes the remainder of his cheesecake home, he checks his phone for the fourth time and smiles when he finally sees a text from Finn.

**_Back safely & will call u tomorrow after class_**

_Okay. Don't forget aloe!_ Kurt sends back quickly, then pockets his phone as Rachel and Santana insist they have more planned for Kurt's birthday. At the end of the evening, they end up at Callbacks, and it isn't until Kurt spots Adam walking through the crowd towards him that he finally remembers that he and Adam did, in fact, have plans on Saturday, and he winces.

"Hey, stranger," Adam says, and Kurt frowns, biting his lip.

"I am so sorry," he blurts out. "I forgot— Finn came to surprise me for my birthday and—"

"Rachel told me," Adam interrupts him. "I called when you didn't answer your phone, to make sure everything was okay."

Kurt winces again. "Oh, shit, Adam, I'm sorry." He _is_ sorry; he's specifically made sure that he didn't make Adam any sort of promises, but Kurt also never had thought he'd stand anyone up, even inadvertently.

"It's always nice to have a visit from family," Adam says understandingly, and Kurt nods. He doesn't know if he needs to be more forthright with Adam, now; nothing about how he _feels_ about Finn has changed, but now that he's kissed Finn, maybe he should. He doesn't really know. There isn't anyone Kurt feels like he can ask, either, and he and Finn did agree once again that they'd keep seeing other people, so in the end, when Adam accepts his apology, Kurt and Adam continue as they had been.

The beginning of the summer feels like the spring, except Kurt is taking slightly different courses, the classes Finn talks about are different, and Kitchen Nightmares is on hiatus for the summer, so they watch Feasting on Asphalt instead. Two weeks after Kurt's birthday, he's half-watching a Friends rerun when Santana gets home and sits down beside him.

"So who's on the docket for tonight, Fish or Chips?" Santana asks.

"What?" Kurt asks, staring at Santana. "What are you talking about?"

"You know what I mean. Fish n' Chips, your boytoys."

"I." Kurt opens his mouth, closes it, then opens it again. "I don't know to what you are referring," he says stiffly.

"Finn's Chips, obviously, since he's greasy and goes straight to your hips," Santana explains. "Adam's Fish because you're stringing him along."

"Santana!" Kurt exclaims. "What— you— what exactly do you think you know?"

"Look, I saw you two in bed together two weeks ago," Santana says bluntly. "No shirts, and it didn't look like brotherly love to me."

"Oh my god," Kurt says faintly. "And you didn't think to mention it before now? Of course not, what am I thinking." He sighs. "It's not—I'm not stringing anyone along."

"So Adam knows all about your cozy little familial arrangement, then?"

"Um. Not exactly. But I never promised anything, either," Kurt says, trying to justify himself to Santana, of all people. "It wasn't— it wasn't anything different. Until two weeks ago. And Finn's back in Ohio now." Kurt scowls slightly and looks in a vaguely western direction.

"I'm sure Adam would feel exactly the same way if you told him all about this in great detail," Santana replies, raising her eyebrows. "Does Finn know about Adam?"

"Yes. He does." Kurt sighs. "It was part of what we talked about. That we'd see other people, at least for now."

"_For now_?" Santana's eyebrows rise even higher. "So it wasn't some weird get–highschool–out–of–your–system hookup?"

"Oh my god," Kurt says, shaking his head. "No. Look. Finn's— you know Finn. There's not any guarantee he _can_ be with a guy, Santana."

"You keep insisting you're a guy, and you two looked pretty _together_ from what I saw, so I think I'm gonna have to argue that point," Santana says.

Kurt shifts in place and determinedly does not look at Santana. "Fine, _so far_, he seems… fine with it."

"Well, there you go. What's the problem?"

"_So far_, I said," Kurt hisses. "Who knows what will happen? I know what I _hope_ will happen, but I don't know."

Kurt's phone buzzes with Finn's text tone, and he picks it up quickly, again not looking directly at Santana.

**_KN filming at rstrnt in Toledo WE SHULD GO_**

"Mmhmm," Santana says.

"What?" Kurt demands, looking up at her very briefly before composing a message back to Finn.

_But when? And the first night or after Gordon's worked his magic?_

"So what's the plan in the dream-world perfect version of your second generation Hudson-Hummel romance?" Santana asks. "You move back to Lima, adopt a Rachel Berry of your very own?"

"Stop that," Kurt scolds her. "And I don't know, exactly. I suppose the perfect version would be Finn moving out here."

**_After. Week from wensday?_**

"Shit," Kurt mutters as he types. _Modern dance and music history on Wed afternoon._ He pauses for a moment, then adds _:(_.

"Are you even listening to me?" Santana demands.

"Adopt Rachel Berry," Kurt parrots back.

"No, dimwit, what I said after that," Santana says. "I said, have you even asked him if he'd _want_ to move to New York?"

"Well, no, but I thought the question of whether or not he could handle my having a dick was more important to answer first!" Kurt blurts out, aggravated.

Kurt's phone buzzes again. **_:C_**

"Yes, Kurt, he seems deeply bothered by that," Santana says wryly.

Kurt scowls. "I don't _know_," he says. "And no, I have no idea when I'm going to see him again."

"I hope you aren't this whiny when you're talking to him on the phone, or you'll scare him off before he ever gets near you dick."

"I'm not whining," Kurt retorts automatically. "I just don't know."

Santana sighs dramatically. "Look, as much as it pains me to encourage anyone to have sex with Finn Hudson, I saw the two of you together. It was, God help me, _sweet_."

"Okay," Kurt says warily. "Are you trying to encourage me to— what? Fly to Ohio and miss classes? Stop seeing Adam? I don't know, here."

"I'm not telling you what to do, and I really don't care what you do," Santana says. "But either way, quit whining about it and coming up with reasons why it might not work. Oh, and do the classy thing and break it off with Adam, will you?"

Kurt sighs. "I know. You're right." He looks down at his phone and then back up at Santana. "While Rachel's out, do you want to order some very non-vegan food? I know she says she doesn't care if we eat meat around her, but I always feel vaguely guilty anyway."

"I demand mu shu pork in tribute to my patience and excellent listening skills," Santana declares.

Kurt laughs. "I promise not to tell a soul."

Kurt doesn't break things off with Adam that day, or even the next day, but that weekend, while they're sitting at a small deli, Kurt sets down his sandwich and tries to smile at Adam.

"I know that look," Adam says sadly. "This is it, isn't it?"

"I'm sorry," Kurt says miserably. "You're a wonderful guy. I wanted to have something with you, I really did."

"But you're going back to your ex."

"My ex? No. No, no, I'm not getting back with Blaine." Kurt shakes his head. After the proposal, Blaine had not even tried to contact Kurt for several weeks, and when he had, Kurt had asked firmly for Blaine not to initiate contact. Blaine had agreed, and Kurt hasn't initiated any contact with him. "I haven't talked to Blaine since I was in Ohio. But I am saying that I'm ending things between us."

"So there is or isn't someone else?"

"There's a possibility of someone else," Kurt explains, his voice soft. "I don't know if it'll work out, ever, but—"

"But you have to try." Adam nods understandingly.

"You're too good of a guy," Kurt says, shaking his head. "You shouldn't be so okay with this!"

"Oh, I'm not, really," Adam admits. "But yelling or blaming you won't change anything."

"Oh. Well, thank you, then," Kurt says, and he stares at his sandwich.

"We'll take two to-go boxes," Adam says, flagging down their server, and in short order, their sandwiches are wrapped, the bill paid, and Adam gives Kurt a very brief kiss on the cheek. "I'd still like to be friends, eventually," Adam confesses. "It'll take me a little while, though."

Kurt nods. "I understand. It's more than I have any right to ask for."

"I hope things work out for you."

"Thank you," Kurt whispers, watching Adam wave and walk away. "You too." Kurt wanders around Bushwick with his sandwich, finally sitting on a bench near one of the many playgrounds and eating the remainder of the sandwich. When it gets just a bit later, Kurt meets Rachel at Callbacks, and he doesn't mention Adam or that he ended things with Adam. There's at least two other people that need to know before Rachel does. Kurt lies in bed later, wearing the T-shirt Finn left behind, and scrolls through airfare deals. Maybe there's a special, if he goes over to Newark to leave, or flies into Cincinnati instead of Columbus. Nothing jumps out at him, and he sighs.

The real issue isn't the cost of the airfare; Kurt wouldn't have to say anything to his dad other than 'I'd like to come visit on this date' and the ticket would be paid for. The real issue is that between classes, homework, and paid work, Kurt doesn't know when he has more than twenty-four hours free for at least another month and a half. The two days with Finn, and his birthday after them, were the last he's had.

Kurt inadvertently falls asleep clutching his phone, and it wakes him the next morning with a reminder that he has a work shift that evening and a study group before work. Kurt sighs and sets an alarm as he starts doing homework, and once it goes off, two hours later, Kurt presses Finn's name on his phone.

"Hi, Kurt!" Finn says.

"Hi. Is this a good time? I thought you'd be awake by now."

"Yeah, I have been for a little while. What's up?"

"Two things, technically. It turns out Santana was gathering information or something while you were here, so she decided to inform me that she'd seen us."

"Oh," Finn says. A beat or two passes before he continues, "What'd she see?"

"She apparently saw us in bed the second night." Kurt snorts. "She said it didn't look 'brotherly'."

"No, I guess it really wouldn't," Finn agrees. "But she wasn't, like, peeking in and watching us or anything, right?"

"Ugh, I don't think so." Kurt shudders a little at the thought. "She was surprisingly… something positive, though I'm not sure quite how to describe it. But the other thing. I ended things with Adam."

"Oh?" Finn asks. His voice sounds higher than normal, and almost too nonchalant. "What happened?"

"What happened?" Kurt repeats. "Nothing specific. I just— just decided to."

"Oh. Well, so you're okay with it? Being ended?"

"Yeah. I'm fine." Kurt plays with his pen. "I think he sort of knew it was coming."

"Okay," Finn says. He doesn't immediately say anything else, but Kurt can hear his breathing through the phone.

"How's your seminar thing going?" Kurt asks after a few moments.

"Great! It's going really great," Finn replies, in his usual upbeat tone. "Everything's really great."

"Good. I tried looking last night for deals on flying," Kurt admits. "The problem's more like when I have more than a day off, though."

"Yeah," Finn sighs. "I've got most weekends, but that would still only give me one night, and you've usually got stuff on weekends, too."

"Work," Kurt says. "Sometimes study groups, but always work." He echoes Finn's sigh. "I'll keep trying to move things around. If not, there's always, what? Labor Day?"

"Yeah, Labor Day," Finn agrees. "Would you want to maybe, I don't know. Fly in that Friday and maybe not tell anybody?"

Kurt grins. "Covert operations? I like that."

"Maybe get the latest flight back on Monday, even," Finn suggests. "I'll tell Puck he's got to be somewhere else for the weekend."

"Probably best. Puck might think he should offer commentary, like we're some kind of sporting event."

"Yeah, that needs to not happen," Finn says. "I'll give him advance warning that he has to get the fuck out until Tuesday or something. He can go stay with his mom or Jake or somebody."

Kurt grins. "You're just encouraging him to have a family weekend, is all. It's so nice of you, Finn."

"That's me," Finn replies, his smile audible. "Nice."

Kurt laughs, and they change topics, discussing how sad it is they can't go to the filming of Kitchen Nightmares, and Kurt makes a mental note to find out if they'll be filming near New York any time that Finn could possibly fly out. After twenty minutes or so, they end the call, and Kurt decides to find something for lunch.

"Talking to Adam?" Rachel asks teasingly as soon as Kurt enters the kitchen.

"What?" Kurt responds, startled.

"I know that tone of voice, Kurt."

"Oh." Kurt ducks his head in the refrigerator. "No, I wasn't talking to Adam." He straightens and catches Santana's eye before continuing. "In fact, I broke things off with Adam last night."

"Bye, Fish," Santana mouths, waggling her fingers in a little wave.

"Oh, Kurt, please don't tell me you were talking to Blaine," Rachel says. "I know it's hard to move on from such a long first relationship, but you and I talked about this. You need to move forward, not back."

"I'm not opposed to being friends with Blaine at some point in the future," Kurt reminds her. "But no, I was not speaking with Blaine, either."

Santana says, "I'm just reading my magazine," picking an older copy of _Vogue_ up from the coffee table and starting to flip through it, pretending to read.

"Oh, well, that's good," Rachel says, sounding confused. "Especially since Blaine will be in North Carolina for the next four years. It's wonderful he got into Elon, of course, but on top of the other reasons, a long-distance relationship is so hard to navigate."

Santana snorts, almost but not quite laughing. "Harder than you think," she says under her breath.

"What, Santana?" Rachel asks.

"Uh, _magazine_," Santana responds, brandishing _Vogue_ at Rachel. "Reading."

"Mmmhmm," Rachel says, lips pressed together, and she looks dubious at best. "Well, then, Kurt, who _is_ the lucky guy on the phone?"

"Um." Kurt looks over at Santana, who is doing a very good imitation of reading, then back at Rachel. "Uh. Chips?"

"_Chips_?" Rachel repeats.

"Short for Charles," Santana offers without looking up from her magazine.

"Hmm." Rachel appears to be deep in thought, and Kurt realizes with a sinking feeling that Rachel will probably spend at least the next two weeks nosing around NYADA and trying to find Charles–called–Chips. Kurt hopes that there isn't anyone there that could actually fit the description. "Well, then, good luck with Mr. Chips, Kurt."

"That's a book," Kurt points out distractedly. "I'm going to make chicken salad."

Rachel wrinkles her nose and shakes her head, moving out of the kitchen, and Kurt concentrates on making his chicken salad. The loft is already warm, and Kurt's already avoiding cooking as much as possible; by the end of July he assumes he'll want cool showers at least three times a day.

It's actually by mid-July that Kurt finds himself trying to fit in as many ways to keep cool as possible. It's cool enough while he's working, thankfully, but Kurt finds himself studying at NYADA as much as possible, avoiding the loft except in the early mornings and after the sun goes down.

Until a Thursday in the third week of July, when all of the practice rooms are booked, and Kurt needs more quiet than he can get in the common areas of NYADA. He lingers over lunch, studying for more than hour in the quiet little cafe he chooses, but in the end, by three in the afternoon, Kurt is alone in the loft, lying on his bed with the window open. He's stripped down to his underwear, and he closes his eyes briefly.

After a few minutes, though, Kurt realizes he's not going to be able to nap, even if he wanted to. He stares at his current Words with Friends games, then sets down his phone without playing, only to jump when his phone rings a few seconds later with Finn's ringtone.

"Hello," Kurt says slowly. "Is it as hot there as it is here?"

"Hey," Finn responds. "And yeah, it's pretty brutal. I've got the a/c cranked up in here, but it's mostly just moving the hot air around."

"Same. Except mine is just the hot air blowing in through the open window. It should be illegal to have to do anything of any consequence in this heat."

"You have anywhere to be later?"

"No. I was trying to study, but I think that's a lost cause. You?"

"Same," Finn says. "I think I've run out of stuff I can take off at this point, and I'm still hot. I'm thinking about putting a pair of socks in the freezer or something."

"Oooh, an ice pack." Kurt pauses. "No, not worth getting up for, yet. And yes, for whatever reason, it seems to be frowned upon to walk around in just underwear."

"Stupid reasons, probably."

"Very. I think there's a pool somewhere near here; I might have to find it before the end of August." Kurt sighs, collecting his thoughts. "I have a question. It seems like a decent time to ask it, anyway."

"As long as it doesn't involve me moving," Finn says. "I need to stay here and keep my skin from touching the rest of my skin."

Kurt laughs. "No, it doesn't. I agree about not moving. So. When you were here, in May, you said you'd been thinking. A lot. What— what kind of things were you thinking? Or are. Either one."

"About you, mostly. You and me. Us."

"What about us?" Kurt asks. "I'm going to go out on a limb and assume they're good things?"

"Well, _yeah_," Finn laughs. "Definitely good things."

"Good." Kurt smirks to himself. "But that's still rather non-specific."

"Well, some of it's non-specific thinking, I guess," Finn says. "Like, just sort of about _us_ in general, like the idea of you and me. About there being a you and me, that sort of stuff. It wasn't something I'd ever thought about before, really, but now I think about it a lot."

"Yeah?" Kurt says softly. "That's good. Speaking of us, did you warn Puck yet?"

"Yeah. He wanted to know why, but I told him 'nunya' so he didn't ask anymore."

"If you hear Rachel asking me about 'Chips' or 'Mr. Chips' at any point, that's you, by the way. I told the girls I'd be gone that weekend already." And then the next day, Kurt had found a bottle of cheap lube on his bed, no doubt a 'gift' from Santana.

"Mr. Chips sounds like a Jack Russell terrier," Finn muses.

"While you are rather loyal and fun, you're not that small."

"That's true," Finn agrees. "So, anything in particular you want me to plan for when you're here? We're going to try to avoid everybody, right? I mean, we don't _have_ to, or anything," he adds quickly. "I don't mind if people know you're here, I just, you know."

"I think it's probably easier if we avoid everyone, yes," Kurt says. "And I'll let you surprise me, since you seem to do well with that."

"Okay. I'll start thinking about that, too. One more thing to think about!"

"Wait a second. You never did give me any specific things you've thought about. Tricky," Kurt says.

"Oh. Well, I mean, like I said, a lot about you and me," Finn begins. "I guess I thought a lot about what it would be like. Kissing you, I mean. Like, would it be really different? Would it be kind of weird? Would I do it right? That kind of stuff."

"You did quite well," Kurt says, feeling amused. "Okay. Anything we, um. Haven't done?"

"Yeah," Finn answers, a little breathy. "Even more since May."

"Will you tell me some of them? Or even just one of them?" Kurt asks, his voice dropping a little.

"I keep thinking about when I was touching you, like, your chest and your stomach," Finn says. "And what if… what if maybe I hadn't stopped? What if I had kept moving my hand down your boxers? That's— that kind of stuff."

"Do you—" Kurt stops and swallows. "Do you wish you had? Not stopped, I mean?"

"No and yes. No, because it means I have something specific for when you visit in September," Finn explains.

Kurt bites his lip and grins. "And yes, because…?"

"Because then I could have had it to remember between May and September," Finn says. "But since I stopped, I only have my imagination, no memories, so that kind of sucks."

"Yeah," Kurt agrees. "May to September sucks."

"Do you wish I hadn't stopped?" Finn asks.

"Yeah," Kurt admits quietly. "Except for the fact it would have made these three months suck even more."

"Yeah," Finn sighs.

"We're halfway through now, I guess," Kurt says. "That's something, at least."

"This is harder than I thought it would be," Finn confesses. He sighs again and Kurt can hear the sound of Finn's be protesting as he repositions himself. "I don't know what I thought it would be, exactly, but this is way harder."

"Yes." Kurt thinks about Santana's question, about whether or not Finn would even want to come to New York, and he thinks about asking Finn about it. They're still not anything official, though, and maybe that's the kind of question better asked in person, anyway. "Definitely hard. I miss you."

"I miss you, too."

"We should try to Skype again this weekend. I can always go down to a cafe or something if the girls are hanging around."

"We could Skype now if you don't mind seeing me sweaty and in my boxers," Finn offers.

Kurt lets a brief giggle escape. "Well, we'd be quite the matching pair, then."

"Are you sweaty in boxers, too?"

"Sweaty in underwear, yes. My hair looks like someone sat on it."

"See? Now you have to let me see!" Finn insists.

"You're taking pleasure in my plastered down hair?" Kurt grumbles, but he reaches for his laptop and sits up as he opens it. "No laughing," he warns Finn.

"I won't!"

"You'd better not!" Kurt admonishes, setting up Skype and waiting until Finn accepts before ending the call on his phone. The picture comes into focus and Kurt winces. "Okay, yes, we're both quite sweaty."

"It is kind of flat," Finn says, chuckling softly.

"You promised," Kurt protests half-heartedly. "Nice boxers."

"Iron Man is stylish," Finn insists. "And yours are… not boxers."

"I vary my undergarments based on my outfit," Kurt retorts. "They still keep everything covered."

"Technically," Finn says. "Technically covered." Finn's eyes keep moving, and Kurt realizes after a moment that Finn seems to be cataloging Kurt's appearance.

"Oh, so it'd be the same if I weren't wearing any?" Kurt finally says, grinning at Finn. "More than technically."

Finn shrugs. "I don't know. Nothing to compare it to, so I can't say if it'd be the same or not."

"Probably _not_," Kurt points out, but he does run a finger under his waistband, on his right side, and he watches Finn's eyes follow the movement. Finn's tongue darts out briefly, touching his lip, and Kurt moves his finger under his waistband again, this time in front and not to the side. "Finn?" Kurt says softly.

"Uh huh?"

"Do you _want_ me to be not wearing any?" Kurt asks slowly. Finn nods his head without taking his eyes away from Kurt's hand. "Okay," Kurt says, and he bites his lip as he shifts his weight, raising up enough to slide his underwear off his hips before sitting back down and removing it from his legs. "Okay?" he repeats.

"Uh huh," Finn says again.

"So… is it the same or different?" Kurt asks, grinning a little bit.

Finn opens his mouth to answer, then closes it, swallowing. He runs his tongue over his lower lip to wet it. "Different," he manages to say.

"I, uh. I guess it's good I'm not out at a cafe or anything," Kurt says with a short laugh. He shifts his position slightly and watches Finn's eyes follow the movement. Kurt had already been growing hard during their conversation, and Kurt can feel himself getting more aroused as Finn watches him, Finn's face somewhat flushed. Kurt looks down at Finn's Iron Man boxers and bites his lip; Finn definitely is not averse to what he's seeing, at least. Kurt watches Finn for a moment, his eyes going between Finn's face and Iron Man several times, and Kurt finally has to ask. "Can you take your boxers off?" Kurt says. "Iron Man's a little distracting."

"Yeah? You want me to?" Finn asks, his cheeks getting pinker. He adjusts himself, and Kurt presses his lips together and grins a little. _Clearly_ not averse, and Kurt nods.

"Yes. Please." He pauses, then grins more widely. "It's only fair."

"I want to be fair," Finn says. His cheeks grow even redder as he rises up on his knees, hooks his thumbs in the waistband of his boxers, and pulls them down his hips. Kurt puts his palms flat on his thighs and rubs his hands down the skin, trying to keep them occupied so he doesn't wrap one of them around his cock and start moving it. Kurt keeps his eyes on Finn and then looks up with a smile.

"Very nice," he says lightly.

Finn's face is bright red as he finally manages to wriggle the rest of the way out of his boxers. His eyes flick back to the screen, lingering on Kurt's hands, possibly like he _wants_ Kurt to touch himself. "You, too," Finn says.

"Thank you." Kurt moves his hands down his thighs again, then looks back up at Finn. "Finn? Do you want me to— move my hand?"

Finn nods his head slowly, his eyes still on Kurt's hands. "Yeah. Yeah, you should."

Kurt moves his right hand, wrapping it around his cock, and keeps his eyes on the screen, watching Finn. "You, ah. You could, too."

Finn nods again. "You— you'd like that?"

"I would." Kurt tightens his own hand slightly, and he licks his bottom lip. "Is this good?"

Finn gives Kurt a lopsided smile. "It'd be better in person."

"I guess now we're back to having something to look forward to," Kurt says, moving his hand a little faster and gesturing at Finn with the other one.

"Yeah," Finn says. He doesn't take his eyes off Kurt's hand as he wraps his fingers around his own cock. Finn moves his hand tentatively. "Like that?"

"Show me what you like," Kurt suggests. The fingers of his left hand curl a little, and Kurt can feel his breathing getting heavier as he watches Finn.

Finn strokes his cock roughly, without finesse, continuing to watch Kurt. Kurt realizes with a start that he's adjusted his own speed, matching Finn's, and he runs his tongue along his lip again, his eyes fixed on the screen. Finn's expression is intent and focused, and Kurt bites back a quiet noise as he thinks of what Finn had said, about it being better in person.

"That's so hot," Finn breathes. He moves his hand faster, his strokes more erratic. Finn's brow is furrowed, and Kurt shivers a little bit with the intensity on his face.

"Yes," Kurt agrees. "Are— are you close, Finn?"

Finn's face reddens again, and he bites down on his lower lip as he nods faintly.

"I want to watch you," Kurt admits, and he squeezes his own cock a bit. "Is that— can I watch you come?"

Finn's quick "Yes" is followed by a low moan. He closes his eyes tightly for a brief moment, then opens them again, his gaze immediately turning back to the movement of Kurt's hand on his cock. A brief flash of desperation crosses Finn's face as he starts to come, crying out softly. Kurt catches his breath, watching as Finn inadvertently coats his chest.

"Oh," Kurt says softly, his hand still moving quickly on his own cock. "Oh, that's— that's, yes. Yes," he repeats. "Finn…"

"Kurt," Finn responds. "Oh god, that's so hot."

"Keep talking to me?" Kurt asks. "Liked watching you."

"Liked you watching me. Can't wait to do this with you for real," Finn says, sounding almost awed by the thought. "Watch you for real. Touch you for real."

"Oh my god yes," Kurt says with a gasp as he talks. "Your hands on me, I want that."

"I want that, too," Finn answers. "I want to put my hands on you, touch you like— I just want to touch you so much right now, Kurt."

"Yes," Kurt groans, closing his eyes and moving his hand over himself as fast as he can manage. "Want that _so_ much."

"I want to watch your face when you come," Finn says. "I want to watch you."

"Oh, _fuck_," Kurt exclaims, and he does start to come, his eyes still closed and his hand still stroking up and down. "Oh my god Finn."

"Wow," Finn whispers, and then, "Oh, _shit_, Puck's back! Shit!"

Kurt's eyes fly open and he stares at the screen with his mouth hanging open. He can't _see_ Puck, and can see some kind of wall behind Finn, which probably means that Puck can't see him, either, but it's pretty obvious what Finn's been doing, Kurt is sure. Kurt grabs the towel he left by the bed that morning and flings it over his laptop, so Puck can't see anything if he does see Finn's screen.

"I'll call you later," Finn says quickly, then the call ends.

Kurt stares at his towel-covered laptop for a minute before removing the towel and using it to clean himself off. Kurt starts to put his underwear back on, then realizes that he may as well take one of his multiple daily showers, instead. He puts on boxers and the shirt Finn left behind, even though Kurt's worn it enough that it smells like Kurt now, and gets an ice pack out of the freezer before sitting down in the living area and trying to make himself study for music history.

An hour and a half passes before Kurt's phone rings, and he picks up before the ringtone can finish its first repetition. "Hi."

"Hey," Finn says. "I'm trying to get away from Puck, but he won't stop following me."

"Single-stall bathroom?" Kurt suggests. "What, is he that interested in what, ah. We were doing?"

"He wants to know who you are," Finn says. His voice is low, so Puck must potentially be within earshot. "First he asked if you were hot, then he asked if you were somebody he knew."

"Did you tell him yes?" Kurt asks.

"To both, yeah," Finn answers. "He thinks you're a girl, though. If I'd said you were a guy, he'd have probably guessed who you are pretty quick. I mean, I didn't _say_ you were a girl or anything!"

"Do you think he would have believed you, though? If you'd said?"

"If I'd just said it was a guy? I don't know," Finn says. "If I'd said it was _you_, then maybe."

"I meant the first one, but that makes sense." Kurt sits back and closes his eyes. "Did you manage to get him off your trail?"

"I just ducked behind a tree," Finn says quietly. "I think if I stay here for a few minutes, I can double back."

"He's nothing if not persistent."

"No, he's nothing if not pervy," Finn counters. "He just wants to listen and see if we're having phone sex or something."

"Luckily he didn't arrive any earlier," Kurt says wryly. "Or we _would_ be."

"Yeah, I guess we would have," Finn agrees.

"That was fun, though."

"Yeah, it was." Finn pauses for a moment, then adds, "We should do it again."

"Yes," Kurt agrees. "Only without the interruption. Which means I'll make sure to minimize the chances on my end as well." Kurt makes a face. "Santana would probably try to give us pointers."

"That whole thing is so weird, that you live with Rachel and Santana," Finn says.

"I couldn't afford a place on my own, not without having to move out on Long Island or something," Kurt says. "And NYADA's dorms are wretched. At least they're the devils I know."

"Yeah, but they're the devils I've slept with," Finn replies. "The only devils I've slept with."

"I try not to think about that," Kurt admits. "As I'm very sure is also the case with Santana, that she tries not to think about it."

"Sorry."

"We can't change the past. Ooh, speaking of the past, if you tell Puck I'm a guy, try to convince him I'm Sebastian."

"Uh, I'll do my best, I guess?" Finn says. "Though I'm kind of a bad liar."

"Yes, but the thought of Puck's face when you try telling him that is amusing," Kurt says. "Or Karofsky. But not Blaine, because, well. _Student_."

"I don't think he'd believe me about any of them, and anyway, he knows I talk to you all the time. I don't think he'd even be surprised that it's you," Finn says.

"We need more gullible friends. Anyway, I _am_ sorry we were interrupted. Maybe Puck will be more likely to knock?"

"I don't know," Finn answers. "He asked if he could watch next time, then when I said no, he said he was joking. Maybe if he knows it's you, he won't bother me?"

"Maybe? If you want to tell him, that's fine."

"You think I should tell him?"

"He'll probably give you some kind of gift," Kurt says. "Cheap lube or something. No, Santana already did the cheap lube, so probably something else."

"Oh," Finn says, sounding surprised.

"I'm going to put it in her Christmas stocking. She's such a cheapskate."

"Oh, okay."

"But maybe Puck won't be so cheap!" Kurt says brightly. "And he's not going to give you a hard time. I mean, any more than he already is." It's possible, in fact, that Puck has been anticipating this for years, judging by the comments Kurt can remember Puck making over the years.

"Oh. Okay, yeah," Finn says.

"You sound distracted," Kurt points out. "Is Puck still trying to corner you?"

"Uh, no. No, he's not, it's just…"

"Just what?"

"I'm still kind of back on 'lube'," Finn confesses. "My brain's going, you know, _places_."

"Ohhh." Kurt bites his lip. "Sorry, I didn't think—"

"No, it's fine," Finn assures him. "It's good. Good places. Really good places."

"Oh. Well, good." Kurt grins a little. "By the way, I, um. I'm wearing your T-shirt. That you left."

"Yeah?" Finn's smile is clear even through the phone.

"Yes. And boxers, now. I had to shower."

Finn laughs. "Yeah, I probably needed one, too, but, well. Puck."

"And now you're outside again, anyway." Kurt stands up and frowns at the calendar; Rachel and Santana aren't always good about putting their own schedules on the calendar, but it looks like they're both going to be gone around lunch on Saturday, and Kurt doesn't have to be at work until three. "Saturday at eleven?"

"I'll tell Puck he has to be gone," Finn says. "Maybe I'll just pull some furniture in front of the door."

Kurt laughs. "Maybe a good idea. Or you can tell him I'll make sure bad things happen to him if he interrupts us again."

"Whatever keeps him out," Finn says.

"Exactly." Kurt glances at the time and sighs. "Speaking of keeping people out, my quiet afternoon is about to become much less quiet. Let me know if you tell him and how it goes, okay?"

"I will. I'll talk to you later?" Finn asks.

"No work until tomorrow afternoon, yeah. Miss you."

"Miss you, too," Finn replies softly. The call ends and Kurt stands in front of the calendar until the door slides open and Rachel walks in, chattering about her day. Kurt shakes his head and takes the bag from Hana Natural from Rachel, putting away the groceries and wrinkling his nose at the seitan. Tofu is one thing, but Kurt is sure he's never going to get used to the seitan.

Kurt is almost to work the next afternoon when his phone buzzes with Finn's ringtone, and he frowns a little, because he knows Finn _does_ know his schedule. "Hello?"

"'Zup, Kurt!"

"Puck?" Kurt asks, slightly incredulous, and he pulls away from the phone to verify it's Finn's number. "Why are you using Finn's phone?"

"So's it true, or are you his reverse beard or something?" Puck asks. "Like his merkin."

"Oh my god." Kurt shakes his head. "No, I am not his reverse beard. And that still doesn't explain why you are using Finn's phone."

"I got a new one after I pawned my old one for beer money, and I didn't transfer over any of the numbers. Anyway, Finn's in the can, so he wasn't using it. Figured I'd call and find out if he was for real or not."

"Charming. And yes, it's true."

"So he's gay now?" Puck asks. "I asked him, but that's when he went into the bathroom, so he didn't answer me. He doesn't like it when I talk to him when he's in there."

"I can't imagine whyever not," Kurt says dryly. "And I would think you of all people would recognize that there is an entire array of possible sexualities."

"Yeah, but that's me," Puck explains. "Finn's the kind of guy that can't make up his mind if they have more than three different meal options in the cafeteria."

"_That_ is probably because he wants to eat all of them. He had them put a hamburger patty between two doughnuts, Puck."

"Damn, that sounds good!"

"Well, if you ever visit Brooklyn, you too can go to DuMont and have it. Any other questions?"

"Are you two a full-on item?" Puck asks.

"Um. Not precisely? Not yet?" Kurt must be scowling, because the other people on the sidewalk are giving him a larger berth than normal.

"Oh. Well there goes that theory." Puck sounds legitimately disappointed. "I figured that was the reason he was all excited a few weeks ago. He even bought me dinner, which was sorta weird."

"He was?" Kurt frowns, trying to think back. "Oh, was it a Sunday?"

"Yeah, I think so," Puck says. "End of June, maybe?"

"Ahh. Yes." Kurt smirks a little to himself. "I know why, then."

"Well?" Puck demands.

Kurt laughs. "I broke everything off with Adam the day before that."

"The English dude?"

"Yes." Kurt snorts. "Or 'Fish' if you prefer."

"Huh?" Puck asks.

"Ask Santana. Finn's 'Chips'."

"Of course he is," Puck agrees amiably. "Well, I think I heard a flush, so I'd better put Finn's phone back before he sees me with it and I have to kick his ass. Nice talking to you."

"Like I'm not going to tell him?" Kurt scoffs. "Bye, Puck."

"Dude!" Finn's voice calls out in the background. "Is that my phone?"

"Oops!" Puck says, then the call disconnects.

"Well, that was different," Kurt mutters to himself. He has the distinct feeling, in fact, that if given enough time, Puck would have launched into some version of telling Kurt not to hurt Finn.

The remainder of the summer session passes in the same hot and sticky haze, and Kurt feels, rightly, that he barely has a moment to pause between summer classes and the beginning of fall semester, with everyone back on campus. Finally, Labor Day weekend arrives, and Kurt leaves his last class on Friday afternoon walking rapidly.

"Kurt!" Rachel says. "Why are you in such a hurry?"

"I told you I'd be gone this weekend," Kurt reminds her. "I have to go get my bag and then go."

"Oh, that's right." Rachel studies him for a moment. "Where are you going, again?"

"Uh-uh," Kurt mock-scolds her. "I am going to be incommunicado in an undisclosed location until I return Tuesday morning before classes."

"Fine." Rachel pouts slightly at him. "But you'll tell me eventually, right?"

"Perhaps," Kurt concedes. "But probably not immediately." He waves off the rest of Rachel's questions on the commute back to the loft, then manages to escape with his bag as he heads for the airport.

He checks in only forty minutes ahead of his flight, but the flight leaves on time, meaning by five he should be in Columbus. Once they land, he collects his bag and heads towards the terminal, scanning for Finn in the crowd.

"Kurt!" Finn's voice sails across the sea of people before Kurt can even see him, though Finn's head appears over the crowd a moment later. "Over here!"

Kurt shifts directions, smiling widely as he walks towards Finn. "Hi," he says when he's still about eight feet away. Finn winds his way through the people, and by the time he gets to Kurt, he has his arms open.

"Hey!" Finn exclaims as he pulls Kurt into a hug. "How was your flight? Are you hungry?"

"Fine," Kurt says into Finn's chest. "And I guess I could eat, yes." He pulls his head back a little and looks up. "It's really good to see you."

"You, too. I missed you," Finn says. He hugs Kurt even harder, crushing him against Finn's chest.

"I missed you, too. Are we still mostly under the radar?"

"As far as I know. I didn't tell Puck why he had to clear out all weekend, but I think he can guess," Finn says. "Nobody should bug us, at least as long as we stay away from places where we know people go."

"So no Lima Bean or movie theatre," Kurt says. "How will we ever survive, Finn?"

"I guess we could go to the movies in Findlay," Finn suggests.

"That's true. I think we'll be fine. I didn't really need to rush out to see the One Direction movie, anyway."

"I don't even know what that is," Finn admits.

"Then we'll definitely be fine." Kurt takes a deep breath, closing his eyes. "Any surprises for me?"

"If I tell you, it's not a surprise!"

"Okay, any surprises for me _tonight_?"

"Maybe," Finn says.

"Finn," Kurt says with a pout. "Come on."

"Later," Finn promises. "Right now, we should go eat something before we leave Columbus. Nobody knows us here."

"Yes," Kurt says, nodding. "But I'm not humming the Mission: Impossible theme."

"Okay. Come on." Finn puts his hand on Kurt's lower back and guides him through the crowded airport. "You don't have to go to baggage claim, right?"

Kurt shakes his head. "No, I didn't think it was worth the hassle."

"Yeah, you don't need all that stuff, anyway," Finn agrees. "Where'd you want to eat?"

"Doesn't matter. Well, it doesn't matter as long as it's not some kind of deli or Subway," Kurt amends. "Mexican, maybe?"

"Sure, I could eat a taco or five," Finn says. He keeps his hand on Kurt's lower back until they get out to the car. Finn sets Kurt's carry-ons on the back seat, then they drive to Las Margaritas to eat.

"We should get the sampler appetizer," Kurt says after they sit down. "It says it feeds two to four people, so I might need my own?" He grins at Finn.

"Hey! I can control myself!" Finn protests.

"Oh, I'm sure you could, I just didn't see any particular need to make you do so," Kurt explains.

"We can share," Finn says. "I'll just get some tacos, too."

"Get the fish ones and I'll steal one," Kurt admits.

"I'll get all the tacos. You can steal parts of all of them."

"That works, too." Kurt closes his menu and sets it down. "We should get ice cream at the grocery store or something. You _do_ have a freezer?"

"It's tiny, but yeah, the minifridge has one," Finn says.

"Good." Kurt slips his hand under Finn's and turns it over, palm up. Finn's hand closes around Kurt's.

"I got some food, you know, for just in case," Finn says with exaggerated nonchalance. "We won't have to leave the dorm if you didn't want to. You know, for some reason."

Kurt stifles a laugh. "That's good to know. Since I do know Lima relatively well, it doesn't seem like we'd have a big need to leave, does it?"

"No," Finn agrees. "Not unless the building caught on fire or you don't like the food I stocked. We've even got a little coffee maker."

"Then I suppose we should hope that the building doesn't catch on fire." Kurt squeezes Finn's hand. "Seems like that'd be unlikely, though."

The ride back to Lima, once they finish eating, feels longer than usual to Kurt, but he mentally acknowledges it's possible that Finn's hand on his leg contributes to that. Finn's fingertips keep making small circles on Kurt's thigh, and by the time Finn parks, Kurt is pressing his lips together.

"Tell me we don't have to hike from here to your dorm?"

"Just through the quad," Finn says. "It's not far."

"Oh, good." As they walk, Finn's hand on Kurt's lower back, a few people wave at Finn, and Kurt notes at least one questioning look in his direction, but they proceed without stopping. Kurt would probably have slapped anyone that did stop them, meaning it's for the best no one does.

Finn unlocks the door to his dorm, and Kurt raises his eyebrows when he sees Puck standing there.

"Dude," Finn says. "You're supposed to be gone."

"I'm on my way out," Puck says. "I just wanted to be polite and wish your guest a nice stay." He smirks at Kurt and waggles his eyebrows. "Have a nice stay, Kurt."

Kurt points to the door. "Out, Puck."

"Alright, alright, I'm going," Puck grumbles, picking up his bag and heading for the door. "Finn, good luck." He opens the doors and closes it behind himself after he leaves the room.

"Good luck?" Finn repeats quietly. "I don't even know what's up with that."

"It's not like I'm going to kick _you_ out," Kurt agrees. Kurt puts his bag down and removes his shoes, then turns back towards Finn. "Well?" he asks.

"Well," Finn replies. "Here we are."

"Yes." Kurt closes the distance between them and wraps his arms around Finn's neck. "You could kiss me now. If you wanted."

"Yeah, I wanted," Finn says. His arms encircle Kurt's waist as he leans down to kiss Kurt, holding him close. Kurt tilts his face up and moves one hand to the back of Finn's head as he parts his lips. Finn starts walking backwards, bringing Kurt along, until they reach Finn's bed.  
Finn sits on the bed and then lies back, pulling Kurt down on top of him, arms still wrapped around Kurt's middle.

Kurt shifts his legs, adjusting his balance, and deepens the kiss, his fingers tangling in Finn's hair. They keep kissing, almost frenzied, but Kurt is sure that they're allowed some frenzy, because it's been months since they've seen each other. He shifts his weight again and feels Finn hard against his thigh, which makes him gasp a little into the kiss. Finn seems to find that encouraging, because he slides his hands underneath the back of Kurt's shirt, running them up and down Kurt's back before grasping Kurt's shirt hem and pulling the shirt up.

Kurt pulls away from the kiss, lifting his arms and nodding. "There should be less clothes." He starts tugging on Finn's shirt ineffectually as soon as Finn removes Kurt's shirt. "Or, um. No clothes."

"Yeah," Finn says. He pulls his shirt over his head and lets it drop. His hands move to Kurt's belt, fumbling with the buckle that's still trapped between their bodies. Kurt lifts his hips somewhat higher, and he runs one hand down Finn's chest. Finn alternates between kissing Kurt and continuing to work on Kurt's belt buckle, which he finally manages to unfasten with a small exclamation of, "Yes!"

Kurt grins and reaches for Finn's jeans with one hand, slowly unfastening them. "So you're saying I should skip the belt the rest of the weekend?"

"Why would you need a belt?" Finn asks, sounding genuinely confused. "You have to have pants on to wear a belt."

Kurt laughs and leans down to kiss Finn again, still working on Finn's jeans with one hand. "Good point," he agrees. "_Fuck_, I want to touch you now."

"Get these _off_," Finn whines, working on Kurt's zipper. "Everything needs to be off."

"Yes," Kurt says, abandoning Finn's jeans in favor of quickly removing his own pants and underwear. Finn does the same, and Kurt flings his clothes on the floor before kissing Finn and reaching between them. He curls his fingers around Finn's cock and pulls back with a grin. "That's good."

Finn nods. He wraps one hand around Kurt's cock and puts the other on the back of Kurt's head, pulling Kurt down until their mouths meet. Kurt jerks his hips down, into Finn's hand, and he starts moving his hand on Finn as they kiss. Kurt feels a little frantic, trying to put as much of his body in contact with Finn's as he can manage. Finn's hand moves roughly on Kurt's cock, just like Finn touches himself when they're on Skype together. Kurt can hear one of them making soft almost-whimpers, and he realizes he's not going to last much longer than Finn, this time.

"Oh, fuck, Kurt," Finn says, his mouth against Kurt's. "This is so hot. You're so hot."

"You feel so good," Kurt confesses. "Your hand, your cock, everything. So fucking good."

"Kurt," Finn says, sounding a little frantic himself. "Kurt, I'm—" Finn doesn't even finish talking before he starts to come, spurting all over Kurt's hand and his own stomach and chest. Finn's grip on Kurt's cock tightens slightly, his hand moving faster.

"_Finn_," Kurt gets out before his earlier prediction comes true, and he comes hard, adding to the mess on Finn's torso. "Oh. Ohh."

"Holy shit," Finn says softly. The hand that had been holding Kurt's head relaxes, and Finn strokes Kurt's hair gently.

"Yeah," Kurt agrees, then he grins slowly. "Told you I missed you."

"Yeah, I guess you did," Finn says. "Guess I missed you, too."

Kurt can't help giggling a little. "I'm going to have to agree with you." He pauses, kissing Finn again, and shifts around in an attempt to get comfortable. "I know we're a mess, but I don't really want to move right now."

Finn reaches over the edge of the bed and feels around until he comes back with his discarded shirt. He uses it to dab at Kurt's stomach and then wipe up his own stomach and chest. When they're both mostly clean, Finn drops the shirt to the floor again.

"There, now you don't have to move," Finn says.

"Thank you." Kurt burrows against Finn. "I'm really… not just happy. Content. I'm really content."

Finn rests his chin on top of Kurt's head and sighs. "Yeah, me too. Content's like the perfect word." He wraps his arms around Kurt again and squeezes. "And you're here until Tuesday morning, so that's even better."

"Yes." Kurt traces his finger in circles and figure eights on Finn's chest. "I, um— I haven't seen anyone else. Since Adam."

Finn nuzzles the top of Kurt's head and tightens his arms around Kurt. "Yeah?"

"I haven't wanted to." Kurt's hand pauses on Finn's chest. "So…"

"I haven't, either," Finn says. "Not anybody else, I mean. I know we said we could see other people, but I guess… why, you know? Why see anybody else?"

"Yeah. Exactly." Kurt reaches for Finn's hand and wraps his fingers around it. "So, um. Do you think we should make this official or whatever?"

"Official like boyfriends?" Finn asks.

"Yeah."

"Then yeah, I think we should make it official," Finn says. "I'll officially be your boyfriend and you'll officially be mine."

"Okay." Kurt smiles and presses his lips to Finn's shoulder. "I like the sound of that."

Kurt wakes up on Sunday morning and stretches, smiling at Finn as he sleeps. Kurt stifles a yawn and shakes his head; just as Finn promised, they haven't had a reason to leave Finn's room since Kurt arrived, and little reason to leave the bed. Friday night had been more handjobs and so much kissing that they'd had to use lip balm; Saturday had consisted of poptarts, blowjobs, lunch in the microwave, and Finn pulling on a pair of boxers to collect the pizza they'd ordered for dinner.

Kurt runs his hand down Finn's chest and brushes it over Finn's cock before sliding his body down, pressing open-mouthed kisses on Finn's chest and stomach. Kurt moves his hand to cup Finn's balls as he closes his mouth over Finn's cock. He moves his mouth and tongue slowly, eyes looking up at Finn's face.

Finn stretches and then moves his hands to Kurt's head, burying both his hands in Kurt's hair. "God, Kurt, I love that," Finn murmurs sleepily.

The corners of Kurt's mouth turn upwards as he moves a little faster, and the hand on Finn's balls slides back, his fingers teasing at the skin. He wraps his other hand around the base of Finn's cock, and deliberately slows his movements. Finn makes a low noise of complaint and tugs on Kurt's hair, bring his hips up off the bed a little. Kurt doesn't change his speed, still moving slowly, and he resists the urge to stare up at Finn.

This time, Finn's noise of complaint is closer to a whine, and he grasps Kurt's head firmly with both hands, moving it downward faster as he thrusts up into Kurt's mouth. Now Kurt flicks his eyes up, gazing at Finn and letting his fingers keep brushing lightly against Finn's skin. Finn thrusts up harder, pulling down on Kurt's head in time to the movement of his hips.

"God, Kurt," Finn breathes. "Your mouth feels so good, so fucking good." Kurt moves his tongue over the tip of Finn's cock as Finn directs his head, and he lets one finger slowly circle around Finn's entrance, his other fingers just above Finn's skin. Finn's thrusts into Kurt's mouth start to shift in pattern as Finn alternates between lifting his hips up and rocking them forward slightly in response to the touch of Kurt's finger.

Kurt increases the pressure with his finger and tightens his other hand just barely, still staring up at Finn's face. Finn is watching him with an intense look, his lips parted, and Kurt slowly pushes his finger inside Finn, still watching Finn's face.

"Oh, _fuck_," Finn moans. "Kurt. _Kurt_."

Kurt moves his finger deeper, wrapping his tongue around the tip of Finn's cock, and closes his eyes. He can feel Finn tense slightly before relaxing again, and Kurt opens his eyes again, fixing his gaze on Finn. When his eyes meet Finn's, Finn moans again and thrusts up into Kurt's mouth just a few more times before he begins to come, clenching around Kurt's finger. Kurt keeps his mouth on Finn's cock until Finn is still, then slowly releases it, removing his finger and crawling back up to rest his head on Finn's shoulder.

"Good morning," Kurt says brightly.

"Yeah it is," Finn agrees. "Good morning to you."

"Very good, even." Kurt shifts and presses closer to Finn. "Better than an alarm clock, I assume?"

"I would wake up like that every single morning if I could," Finn says. He wraps one arm around Kurt and plays with the front of Kurt's hair with his other hand. "I hope I didn't hurt your head."

"No, you didn't," Kurt assures him. He leans into Finn's hand and lies there silently for a few moments. "Hmm. I have a question."

"Okay," Finn says, as he continues to run his fingers through the front of Kurt's hair.

"I know you couldn't for a bit. Months, probably. But do you think you could look at, well, transferring?"

"Transferring?" Finn parrots back. He twirls a lock of Kurt's hair around his finger. "Like, schools? To New York?"

Kurt nods slowly. "Yes. I— I can't come back here, Finn, not for more than visits. Even if I never perform anywhere but Fire Island as a waiter. Or do anything with fashion beyond answering the phone at Vogue."

"Yeah. Yeah, I can understand that," Finn says softly. "And I hate being so far away from you. It's getting harder, not easier."

"Yes. There's at least a couple of different choices, in terms of schools you could look at. We could find a little place together, maybe." Kurt pauses, because maybe that's too much, too fast, but it's not like Finn could move into the loft.

"Oh, man," Finn says. "I just thought of something."

"What is it?" Kurt asks cautiously.

"We're going to have to tell Mom and Burt eventually."

"Oh. Yes." Kurt winces. "We could wait until after you've transferred?" Kurt suggests hopefully.

"We might get a couple of years out of saying we're roommates, too," Finn offers.

"It's not untrue, precisely," Kurt says. "We would be. The same room, even."

"We'll tell them after we graduate," Finn says.

Kurt giggles a little. "While they're either here or in DC, and we're in New York."

"I know. We'll just text it to them!"

Kurt's giggles get louder. "Definitely." Once his laughter dies down, he looks up at Finn and frowns a little. "Wait a moment. _I_ just thought of something."

"Uh oh. What?" Finn asks.

"It was implied that there would be a surprise for me this weekend."

"The poptarts weren't enough of a surprise?"

"You having poptarts wasn't really a surprise at all," Kurt replies. "Do you want me to have to pout?"

"Yes," Finn says.

"Finn!" Kurt says, shaking his head, then he does pout deeply.

"Maybe a little more pout first?" Finn asks.

Kurt wrinkles his nose, making a face, then pouts again. Finn puts his fingers under Kurt's chin and tilts his head up, kissing Kurt's pouty lower lip.

"Okay, fine," Finn concedes. "Stay right here and close your eyes."

"Okay," Kurt agrees, closing his eyes.

Finn disentangles himself from Kurt, and shortly thereafter, Kurt hears a rustling sound, then the crinkling of paper. "Keep them closed!" Finn orders.

"I am!"

"Won't matter in a second, anyway," Finn says, laughing a little.

"What?" Kurt asks, then stills as he feels Finn tying a blindfold on him. "Oh my god." He starts to laugh. "You did not."

"You said 'not in public', which kind of sounded like yes you wanted me to blindfold you, just not in public," Finn explains. "This isn't public."

"That is true," Kurt concedes as Finn tugs it tight. He opens his eyes and sees nothing but black, then closes them again. "And no, I can't see anything."

"Good! It works!" Finn sounds pleased with himself.

"And what exactly are you planning to do with me now?" Kurt asks. He can feel Finn moving back, until Finn isn't touching him anywhere. Kurt can still sense that Finn's right there, though, and Kurt realizes that he can't really raise his eyebrows effectively either.

After a few moments of silence and stillness, Finn's lips are suddenly on Kurt's in a brief, rough kiss before pulling away again. Another few seconds pass before Finn presses a kiss to the center of Kurt's chest, then several more seconds before Finn darts his tongue over Kurt's left nipple, followed by his right. Kurt licks his bottom lip and then bites down on it. His body is slightly tense with anticipation, and he curls his fingers in the sheets.

Finn's tongue touches just above Kurt's navel, circling it, then traveling down Kurt's stomach before disappearing again. As Finn kisses Kurt on one hip, his fingers trace small circles around Kurt's other hip. "Finn," Kurt whines a little, shifting in place. "Why did I never know you were an utter tease?"

"You didn't ever ask," Finn says. His lips brush lightly across the head of Kurt's cock.

"I didn't realize I needed to." Kurt shifts again. "You never answered my question about what you were planning, either."

"I've had so much time to think about it," Finn says. "I think I'm thinking about it most of the time I'm not actually talking to you." His lips touch the tip of Kurt's cock again, followed by a soft swipe of Finn's tongue.

"Still not an answer. Very— very tricky," Kurt says. He resists the urge to move, except for his fingers in the sheets.

"This. You." Finn's tongue wraps around the head of Kurt's cock for just a moment. "Being with you." His breath is warm against Kurt's skin. "Being inside you."

Kurt's breath catches for a moment, and he nods. "Yes. Yes, that's a good idea. Very good."

"I just have so much time to think," Finn continues. "I think about all the things I want to do with you. Things I want to do to you." He takes Kurt's cock into his mouth, taking him in deeper than he could even the day before. Finn's hands move over Kurt's chest, down his arms, stroking over his nipples and then sliding down to caress his balls.

"Finn," Kurt says with a little moan. "I approve of your thinking." Kurt bites down on his lower lip and moves one hand to Finn's hair, running his fingers through it. "Keep, uh, thinking. And doing."

While Finn's mouth keeps moving slowly up and down Kurt's cock, Finn slides his hands under Kurt's thighs, pushing his legs up so they bend at the knee and Finn is between them. He strokes the curve of Kurt's ass where it meets his thighs, running his thumb over the soft skin. He moves his mouth away from Kurt's cock for a brief moment, and Kurt can hear a quiet, wet smacking noise before Finn's mouth returns to his cock, and one of Finn's fingers nudges gently at Kurt's entrance.

Kurt lets out another soft moan, spreading his legs a little wider. He hadn't thought about being blindfolded, not seriously, before the day on the bus with Finn, but he _had_ after that. Even his imagination, though, had not been close to the reality of it, the way it focuses his mind on the feel of Finn touching him.

Finn licks along the underside of Kurt's cock while he slowly pushes his finger into Kurt. When Finn's finger is inside, he works his mouth up and down the shaft of Kurt's cock a few times, then lets it slide out of his mouth, his lips resting against the tip while he moves his finger almost excruciatingly slowly.

"Is it good?" Finn asks. His voice is soft and husky, and he sounds like he's holding himself back.

"Oh my fucking god, yes," Kurt almost blurts out. "It's so good, Finn."

Finn kisses down the length of Kurt cock, then mouths carefully at Kurt's balls. The hand not currently inside Kurt stays on the back of Kurt's thigh, pushing it up so Kurt's knee is near his chest.

"So I… I read about this thing online," Finn says. "I don't know if it's something you like, but ever since I read about it, I can't stop thinking about it."

"Okay," Kurt says, a little curious. "What is it? Or do you want to just… show me?"

"I don't want to do anything you don't want," Finn quickly clarifies. "I just…"

"As long as it doesn't involve clippers, whips, or other ways of causing pain, I think we're fine," Kurt says, running his fingers through Finn's hair again.

"I wouldn't ever do anything to hurt you," Finn promises. He takes a deep breath in, exhales loudly. "Okay."

His finger slips out of Kurt's ass, but before Kurt can protest, Finn pushes Kurt's other thigh up. The next thing Kurt feels is Finn's tongue tracing a circle around Kurt's entrance.

"Oh, wow," Kurt murmurs. "Oh my god, Finn, that's amazing." It does feel amazing, and Kurt shifts a little, his body trying to follow Finn's tongue. He's a little surprised by Finn's interest and enthusiasm; while Kurt himself had at least been intrigued in the past, his other sexual partners had decidedly not been interested. "_Fuck_, Finn."

Finn's tongue darts out, the tip pushing against Kurt's entrance, opening him as it moves inside. Finn pushes Kurt's legs farther back against his chest, then slides his hands down to Kurt's ass, palms flat against Kurt's skin as he spreads Kurt open. Finn's tongue slips inside again, withdraws, and then pushes in even more, and he actually moans against Kurt as he continues to fuck Kurt with his tongue.

"Holy…" Kurt trails off, swallowing and licking his lips again. "This is fucking incredible." A tiny part of Kurt's brain does wish he could see it, could watch Finn's movement, but the rest of his mind either doesn't care or thinks that it's possibly even better because of the blindfold. "Fuck, Finn." Kurt can hear Finn's movements as well as feel them, hear the soft wet noise of his tongue moving in and out of Kurt. Kurt's hand on Finn's head stills, and he lets Finn's motion move it forwards and back almost abruptly. "God, Finn, I want you inside of me."

Finn moans again, louder this time, and his tongue thrusts into Kurt a few more times before he slowly pulls away, running the tips of his tongue in another small circle around Kurt's entrance.

"That's so fucking awesome," Finn pants. "The way you move. You're so hot inside. You're just so— fuck, you're so hot, Kurt."

"That was so fucking good," Kurt says, feeling a little breathless himself. "God, are you sure you didn't practice or something? I _really_ want you inside me but I think— I think you could have made me come just like that, Finn."

"I want to. Next time I want to," Finn says. "You're sure you want me to— can I really? Please? I want to be inside you so bad, Kurt."

"_Yes_. Please." Kurt repositions his legs slightly, trying to imagine what Finn must look like. "The lube's— well, it's over there," Kurt says, trying to gesture in the correct direction. "Not the cheap kind."

Finn chuckles softly. "Okay." He shifts on the bed, and when his fingers touch Kurt's entrance again, they're slick and cool. "Kurt, I—" Finn stops abruptly.

"You okay?" Kurt asks quickly.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm good," Finn assures him. "I just— I don't want you to think it's because of this. It can wait. God, Kurt, you look so good."

"Okay." Kurt bites his lower lip. "So, ah, should I try to get blindfolds as the next big fashion trend?"

"You're so gorgeous," Finn says. His voice is rough, full of emotion. "Kurt."

"Please, Finn," Kurt says, not quite whining. "_Please_."

Without another word, Finn moves forward. One hand is on Kurt's thigh again, the other must be on Finn's cock, because it presses against Kurt's entrance. Kurt nods twice, pushing towards Finn. Finn slides inside Kurt in a slow, continuous movement, exhaling loudly once he's completely inside, leaning his face against Kurt's fabric-covered face.

"Oh. Oh, fuck," Finn says. "Oh, fuck, Kurt. So tight."

Kurt flexes deliberately, bringing one hand up and slowly finding Finn's shoulder, then his neck and head. "That's— that's so good. You feel so good, Finn."

"I want to move," Finn says. His voice sounds strange, pitchier than usual. "Afraid if I start, I won't stop."

Kurt shivers a little and nods. "I want you to move. I want that, Finn."

"Okay. Kurt." Finn starts to rock his hips forward slowly, but it soon turns into long thrusts, Finn pulling back and pushing inside Kurt faster. His hand finds Kurt's cock, stroking it awkwardly, out of sync with the motion of his hips.

"Fuck, Kurt, you're so tight," Finn says. "I can't— I can't—" He slams his hips forward, hand tight on Kurt's cock. "Oh fuck, Kurt, I can't—"

"Just like that," Kurt says, lifting his hips slightly. "Oh my god, Finn, you feel so good." Kurt shivers again, letting his body move with Finn's thrusts. "_So_ good, so perfect." Now Kurt wishes he could see, just to see Finn's face, and the hand in Finn's hair tightens.

"I can't see your eyes," Finn finally manages to get out. "I need to see them. Need to see you." His hand fumbles along the side of Kurt's face for a moment before Finn tears the blindfold away. Finn's eyes are wide and a little wild, staring intensely down at Kurt.

"I wanted to see you too," Kurt says softly. "You look incredible."

"You're beautiful. Kurt, you're the most— you're so amazing, I didn't know, I just didn't know." Finn is pounding into Kurt now, one hand still on Kurt's cock and the other back on Kurt's thigh again. "I didn't know it could be like this."

"I want— I need to see you come," Kurt says. "I need to see your face."

"Kurt," Finn gasps, his hips thrusting forward erratically. "Oh, god, oh god, oh _Kurt_!" Finn's voice breaks off into a rough cry, his face flushing and his eyes bright. He slams into Kurt one more time before his body shudders, hard, and his head drops forward.

"Ohh," Kurt gasps out, watching Finn. "Oh my god, that's— yes." He moves his legs down a little, wrapping them around Finn the best he can. "Finn. Finn."

"Kurt," Finn breathes. "Please come for me. Please."

"Oh god Finn," Kurt says, pushing into Finn's hand a few more times before he starts to come, his eyes still on Finn's face. "Oh fuck yes." Kurt's body shakes and then relaxes into the bed, his arms lying at his side. "A very good way to start the day," he murmurs after a few moments pass.

Finn lowers himself to the bed, still halfway on top of Kurt. "We should do that every morning," Finn says.

Kurt grins. "Okay. We're making quite a list of things to routinely do in the morning."

"And none of it's easy to do with you in New York and me in Ohio," Finn sighs.

"No." Kurt frowns slightly. "Not really. I know I'm asking a lot."

"But, I mean… I can teach in New York, too," Finn says. "They have schools there."

"Well, yes. But you have people here." Kurt gestures with one hand, making a circle. "Puck, and I know you liked working with the glee club last year."

"I could like working with people in a new city, too," Finn counters. "And Puck's sort of like the wind. He blows in, he blows out, you don't know when he's going to be there or not. He might end up following us to New York and sleeping on our stairs."

"Well, the stairs would be better than the couch, which is what I thought you were going to say. If he were on the couch, he'd probably end up filming us." Kurt laughs. "Noah Puckerman, amateur gay porn producer."

"Maybe we just won't have a couch," Finn says quickly.

"You don't want to help your best friend achieve his dreams?" Kurt laughs again. "Oh my god, Finn, I could actually see Puck producing porn."

"Yeah, but if we don't mention it, he might take a few more years to get there!"

Kurt keeps laughing. "Just in case, you should make sure he only hangs around with people over eighteen. Verified by identification. Something I watched…" Kurt frowns and shrugs. "I can't remember. But regardless, you— you think you'll look into transferring?"

"Don't know how I'll pay for the schools out there, but yeah, I'll look at it," Finn says.

"They can't be too much more than Ohio schools." Kurt grimaces. "Don't even ask me about how much NYADA is."

"I can figure it out. Doesn't hurt to look." Finn burrows his face into the side of Kurt's neck and sighs happily.

"I'm highly motivating," Kurt says loftily.

In the end, Finn's statement proves correct: Kurt doesn't need most of what he packed, with the exception of the lube and clothes to wear on the plane on Tuesday morning. Kurt's phone wakes them way too early on Tuesday, and Kurt grumbles as they leave the room.

"I need even more coffee. And a Time-Turner or one of those transporter things Sam was always talking about last year."

"Beam me up, Kurt," Finn says. His smile isn't as wide as usual, and what smile he does have looks forced.

"Yes. That." Kurt sighs. "Back to the fucking grind."

"We should take some back roads on the way to the airport," Finn offers too nonchalantly.

Kurt laughs shortly. "Oh, I just thought about trying to tell the flight attendants you were my carry-on luggage."

"I don't think I'd fit under the seat," Finn says.

"Dammit." Kurt sighs. "Thanksgiving? You could fly out for a day or two? I know I'll be back at Christmas for longer."

"Might have to get a gag or something to go with the blindfold," Finn muses. "Otherwise, Rachel's going to figure it out pretty quick."

Kurt snorts. "We'd have to get two, I think. I suppose I should tell her, though."

"Glad I'm not going to be there for that, at least." Finn sighs again. "Sucks that's the only bright side, though."

"Yeah." Kurt frowns. "Do you want to walk in, or drop me off? Either way's not going to be fun."

"Fuck," Finn says softly. "Can I decide when we get there?"

Kurt nods. "Yeah." The drive to Columbus is quiet, Kurt's hand resting on Finn's leg with Finn's hand over Kurt's and the radio playing softly. Kurt sighs when the highway signs start to announce the exit for the airport. "Like I said, Time-Turner."

"Can I pick option C instead?" Finn asks. "The one where we just keep driving, maybe all the way to New York?"

"It doesn't sound all that horrible, no."

Finn doesn't say anything else until they're pulling into airport. "I don't know what to do. Both options suck."

"Yes." Kurt sighs. "Walk in with me. It's an extra ten or fifteen minutes, maybe."

"Okay," Finn says. He parks the car, and then he and Kurt walk together into airport, hand in hand. Kurt stops them near the security line and leans against Finn's chest.

"I'll let you know when I land," Kurt says quietly. "Send me a text when you get back, even though I'll be in the air."

Finn nods, toying with the strap of Kurt's carry-on. "Kurt, there's something I wanted to tell you. I didn't want to say it earlier, because, you know. The sex."

"The sex was quite enjoyable, though," Kurt says with a small grin.

"I just didn't want you to think that was why I was saying it," Finn says.

"Okay." Kurt nods.

"I love you," Finn says softly. "Not because of the sex. Just because of you."

"Finn." Kurt squeezes Finn's hand. "I love you, too. And— I think that made this weekend even better."

"Guess you've got to go, though?"

Kurt sighs. "Yeah. I do." Kurt slides his arms around Finn's waist. "I'm going to miss you."

"I'll get tickets for Thanksgiving," Finn replies. He wraps his arms around Kurt. "It won't be that bad."

"It probably will be," Kurt counters. "Okay. Give me a quick kiss and then I'm going to go and try not to make a scene." He pulls back slightly and tries to smile. "Scenes should be reserved for New York when someone with connections might be impressed at my range of emotion."

Finn laughs a little hollowly, then pulls Kurt into a kiss that isn't long by their standards, but probably isn't quick by anyone else's. Even after his mouth leaves Kurt's, Finn continues holding Kurt in his arms.

"I'll start looking at the transfer stuff as soon as I'm back to the dorm," Finn promises.

Kurt nods and tries to smile, then takes a deep breath. "Bye, Finn," Kurt whispers.

"Yeah," seems to be all Finn can manage. He finally releases Kurt, taking a step back. "Okay," Finn says, the takes another step backwards.

Kurt bites his lip and nods, then turns towards the security line and forces himself not to turn around. The security line doesn't take long, and Kurt is seated on the plane before long, which gives him approximately two hours on the plane to relive the weekend in his mind. It doesn't make leaving appreciably more fun, but by the time Kurt gets on the train at the airport to head to the loft, he feels like he can probably maintain his composure.

Of course, when he slides open the door, Rachel and Santana are sitting in the living room, and Kurt stifles a groan at their expectant looks.

"How was your weekend, Kurt?" Rachel asks brightly.

"Yes, Kurt, you should tell us all about it!" Santana chirps, folding her hands in her lap with an expression of faux anticipation on her face.

"My weekend was very enjoyable, thank you. And I don't precisely think you need details, Satan."

"A restful weekend, then?" Santana asks.

Kurt raises an eyebrow. "Well, I did spend a good portion of it in bed."

"Kurt! Where did you go?" Rachel asks.

"Away," Kurt answers Rachel vaguely.

"All by yourself?" Santana asks.

"No." Kurt glares at Santana half-heartedly. "We're going to have company for Thanksgiving, by the way."

"Ooh," Rachel says. "A mystery man! Is it someone at NYADA?" Kurt shakes his head, and Rachel frowns, clearly thinking.

"Did you meet him once upon a dream?" Santana asks wryly.

"I am neither in _Sleeping Beauty_ nor _Jeckyll & Hyde_," Kurt says, shaking his head.

"I wish I'd seen that revival," Rachel says absently. "Not at NYADA. Ooh, this is exciting, Kurt. Is it _serious_? Or just a fling?"

"Yes, Kurt, tell us," Santana adds, now sounding slightly bored with the whole conversation.

Kurt rolls his eyes at Santana, then turns back towards Rachel. "The former."

"Oh, I'm so happy for you!" Rachel squeals. "And I promise I won't even snoop to see if you have any luggage tags that tell me where you went."

"There aren't any," Kurt says with a smile. "But I appreciate the gesture."

Santana picks up a copy of _Vogue Italia_ and begins to flip through pages, probably to signal her exit from the conversation.

"We should have lunch to celebrate," Rachel says to Kurt. "Before we go to class this afternoon. And I can tell you all about the boy I spotted at Callbacks over the weekend."

Between Kurt's prediction and Finn's attempt at reassurance, Kurt's is correct: the nearly three full months between Labor Day and Thanksgiving are miserable. Kurt decides by mid-November that the only consolation is that their grades are excellent and Kurt's bank account is relatively full for the first time since moving to New York. By the time classes end on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, Kurt is mentally willing the subway to move more quickly and trying to remember if increased winds would make Finn's plane faster or slower.

He eats dinner with one eye on the clock and then sighs as Rachel stands at the sink to wash dishes, noticing the amused expression on Santana's face.

"Rachel," Kurt begins. "I have a confession to make."

"Is it about your boyfriend? I'm very excited to meet him," Rachel says, looking over and smiling. "Do you think he'd want to do a double-date with Romero and me?"

"Um." Kurt winces. "I don't know, Rachel. I— I'm kind of dating your ex."

"Brody?" Rachel says. "Kurt, you really didn't seem to like Brody all that much. Why would you do that? Santana, can you believe this?" She turns to Santana, looking almost upset on Kurt's behalf.

Santana puts her hands up. "Not involved."

"Not Brody," Kurt says.

"Jesse? I had no idea he's been in New York at all. Where on earth did you run into him?"

"Not Jesse either."

Rachel frowns. "Oh, Kurt, I know that Noah can be perfectly charming, but—"

"Stop!" Kurt says. "I'm not dating Puck, either." Of course, Kurt's quite sure there's been a number of times that Puck's tried to eavesdrop on their conversations, but he's also sure Puck would do that to Finn regardless of who Finn was dating.

"Kurt, that's— oh." Rachel's jaw drops slightly. "You're— you're dating _Finn_?"

"Got it in four," Santana quips.

Rachel glares at Santana, then looks back at Kurt. "Well?"

Kurt nods. "Finn."

"You and Finn." Rachel looks utterly perplexed. "I had no idea. About the two of you, or about Finn. So _Finn's_ coming for Thanksgiving?"

"In… about an hour. Yes."

"Your mouth is still open," Santana points out. "Which might explain Romero's interest in you, come to think of it."

"Santana!" Rachel says, sounding wounded. "Romero has some _class_. And Kurt, well. I can't say I'm not surprised, but if the both of you are happy, then of course I'm happy for the two of you."

"Thank you, Rachel," Kurt says, smiling at her. "And Santana, be polite."

"This _is_ my polite."

Kurt shrugs in acknowledgment of Santana's words, because she's more or less correct. Rachel shakes her head once at Santana before speaking. "Wait, your Labor Day weekend trip was to _Lima_? I would think I would have seen someone else mention your presence."

"We didn't really go anywhere?" Kurt offers. "Puck knew. He left a gift nearly as useless as the cheap lube Santana gave me."

"Not my fault you're so picky," Santana says with a shrug.

"Now Kurt, you can hardly expect Santana to be knowledgeable about the appropriate lube for—" Rachel cuts herself off abruptly, as if it's only occurred to her she's discussing two people she knows very well.

Kurt coughs once into the awkward silence that follows. "Yes, well, I usually don't expect Santana to purchase anything like that for me, either." More silence descends, followed by a knock at the door, and Kurt jumps up.

"I thought you said an hour?" Rachel asks.

"I might have overestimated on purpose," Kurt says over his shoulder, then slides the door open with a grin. "Hi."

"Hey," Finn answers, with his own wide grin.

"Hey yourself," Kurt says, starting to laugh, and he grabs one of Finn's hands, intent on pulling him inside. Instead, Finn reels Kurt in closer, putting his other hand on Kurt's face to tilt it up for a kiss. Kurt wraps his other arm around Finn's neck and presses against him. Finn kisses Kurt deeply for what feels like several minutes before Kurt hears Rachel, still at the sink.

"Well, you definitely weren't kidding," she says, sounding a little stunned.

Finn breaks the kiss, seeming reluctant about it, and nods his head in Rachel's direction. "Hey."

"Hello, Finn," Rachel says. "As I was telling Kurt, I'm very happy for the two of you."

"Well, uh. Thanks, Rachel," Finn says. "That's really cool of you."

Rachel smiles at them and then tugs on Santana's arm. "We should really get out of your way for a little while," she says. "Remember, Santana, we talked about this last week."

"I couldn't agree more," Santana says. "I'll get my coat."

"Bye, girls," Kurt says, stepping out of the way so they can exit, and then he moves so he's pressed against Finn again. "Oh my god, I missed you," he mumbles.

"Missed you more," Finn says. He pulls Kurt against him even harder, so Kurt can feel how hard Finn is through his jeans.

"Maybe we should go remove our clothes and you should show me," Kurt says.

"Maybe I should remove your clothes and show you," Finn says, already fumbling with the front of Kurt's pants. "Maybe I don't want to wait for both of us."

"Oh, well then." Kurt keeps one arm around Finn's neck and exhales. "That'd be good, too."

Finn pushes Kurt's pants to the floor. "Shirt on or off, your call," Finn says, sinking down to his knees to disentangle Kurt's feet from the pants and toss the pants to the side. He runs his hands over Kurt's hips a few times. Kurt pulls off his sweater and drops it on the floor, then starts unbuttoning his shirt.

"I'm really glad to see you," Kurt says quietly, "and not just because I'm already naked."

"I hate everything about being so far away from you," Finn says. He kisses Kurt on each hip, then holds them firmly while he runs his tongue along Kurt's cock.

"Me too." Kurt runs his fingers through Finn's hair, pulling on it gently. "Maybe I won't let you leave."

"Maybe I don't want to," Finn says, then takes Kurt's cock into his mouth, moving fast and gripping tightly at Kurt's hips.

"Oh my god, good," Kurt says, staring down at Finn. "Fuck, I love you, Finn. Missed you so much."

Finn responds by moving his mouth faster, his tongue tracing along the underside of Kurt's cock and flipping around the head. He looks up at Kurt, eyes crinkling at the corners. Kurt can feel the smile on his face, the one that hasn't left since he opened the door, growing wider, and he tugs on Finn's hair lightly again.

"So good, so fucking good," Kurt murmurs, his eyes locked with Finn's. "You're really here." Kurt keeps rambling quietly, watching Finn and focusing on finally hearing and seeing and _feeling_ Finn, after months of a phone or a computer screen. It takes Kurt less time than he anticipates before he's warning Finn. "Finn, sweetheart, I'm so close."

Finn's eyes crinkle even more and he doesn't stop the movement of his tongue and mouth, squeezing Kurt's hips. Kurt bites down on his lip and lets out a low moan just before he comes, his hands moving from Finn's hair to Finn's shoulders in an attempt to steady himself better. Finn swallows, then slowly lets Kurt's cock slide out of his mouth. He licks his lips as he smiles up at Kurt.

"Good?" Finn asks.

Kurt giggles and nods. "Very. Very good."

"Love you," Finn says. "Now, can we go to bed, or what?"

"Bed sounds like an excellent idea. I'm sure we could find a deli that would deliver a turkey sandwich on Thursday, even."

"Happy Thanksgiving," Finn replies.

Kurt's grin gets wider as he pulls Finn towards the bed. "Exactly."

The Thanksgiving break is a slight disappointment insofar as Finn has to put on clothes more than Kurt did over the Labor Day weekend, but by the time Finn has to get on a plane early Monday morning, Kurt is thoroughly and happily worn out. The time between Thanksgiving and climbing on a plane for Christmas break is just two and a half weeks, and while Finn and Kurt have to study for finals during that time, it's still much shorter than the two long, three months stretches they endured before.

When Burt calls to confirm Kurt's flight schedule, he nearly immediately assures Kurt that he'll be there to pick up Kurt, so they can have some father–son time while Carole and Finn have a few hours together. Kurt pouts in his mirror while he tells Burt that of course that sounds good, unable to figure out how to explain why, exactly, it should be Finn instead.

As it is, when the plane lands in Columbus, Kurt pauses as soon as he disembarks to send Finn a text.

_Landed. I'll be there soon. Can't wait. Love you._

**_Here waiting for u! Love u 2!_**

Kurt is still grinning to himself when he spots Burt, and Burt laughs as he greets him. "It's good to know you're so happy to see your old man," Burt says. "How'd it end up being months since we've seen each other?"

"One of us is a Congressman who spends a lot of time in DC," Kurt points out, "and since I'm not twenty-five yet, that means it must be you."

"And one of us is a busy student in New York," Burt counters. "C'mere, kid. I'm glad you'll be here for a few weeks. Oh, and hey, Finn says he has some news to share with us tonight."

"Oh, that's good," Kurt manages, trying not to grin even more widely, because he suspects that Finn's news is about transferring. On the way to Lima, he and Burt discuss Kurt's classes, what Burt's been doing in DC, and how the shop is doing with Burt gone so often, which makes the drive go a little more quickly.

When they arrive at the house, Finn is with Carole, which means Kurt has to content himself with a hug. Kurt does manage to squeeze Finn's hand briefly as they separate, but he has to resist the urge to pull Finn upstairs immediately.

"This is so nice," Burt says. "All of us together for dinner again!"

"All my boys under one roof," Carole adds.

"So, what's for dinner?" Finn asks.

Carole bats at his arm. "Oh, you! You never change, do you sweetie?"

"I have to recover my strength from finals," Finn protests. "And I'm still growing, and it's been, like, _hours_ since I ate anything!"

"I agree," Kurt says. "Lunch feels very long ago."

"Well, let's all sit down," Burt says. "And Finn, you can share this news of yours."

"Ooh, yes, I'm so excited to hear it!" Carole says.

They sit down relatively quickly, all things considered, and Carole puts the food on the table. Kurt crosses his fingers that Finn _is_ talking about transferring, and then makes a mental note to tell Finn later that he doesn't appreciate hearing it at the same time as Burt and Carole, because it will mean he can't respond properly.

"This is so nice," Burt repeats. "I'm glad everybody's home."

"It's so wonderful, isn't it?" Carole asks. "Now, Finn. What was that big announcement you had?"

Finn finishes swallowing a mouthful of food. "Well, I don't know how big it is or anything," he begins, glancing over at Kurt, "but I applied to transfer to CUNY next year, and, uh. They accepted me."

Kurt grins, biting down on the inside of his lip to keep from grinning too widely. "Congratulations."

"Thanks," Finn says. From the way he keeps looking at Kurt from the corner of his eye, he clearly wants to say more. "We'll have to talk about the best place for me to live and all of that. Maybe we can go up and talk about it right after dinner's over!"

Kurt nods quickly, still biting down on his lip, and he looks over at Burt to see his reaction. Burt looks confused, and he turns to Finn. "Well, this is a surprise, Finn."

"Not a bad surprise, I hope," Finn says. "I just felt like if I didn't try to go somewhere now, I might not ever leave Ohio."

"Nothing wrong with that," Burt says, "but I suppose I can understand that. Carole, did you have any idea about this?"

"I didn't!" Carole says. "Finn, I had no idea you were even looking at schools in New York again!" She looks at Finn askance. "You aren't getting back together with Rachel are you?"

Finn starts to cough, putting his hand over his mouth, and Kurt shakes his head. "No, no, Rachel's dating a very nice young man from Italy named Romero. Santana and I are positively in awe, considering her last foray into dating was Brody."

"Now, wait," Burt says. "Are you transferring in the fall, or for next semester?"

Kurt sighs quietly, because it would be nice if it were for the spring; he could change his flight back to one with Finn or even drive out with him, if Finn needed to bring his car for some reason. It's probably somehow better for Carole and Burt for the autumn, though, and Kurt looks over at Finn as he answers.

"Well, I could wait until fall," Finn says. "But I'm accepted for the spring semester."

Kurt's jaw drops and he knows he's staring rather dumbfoundedly at Finn, because he definitely did _not_ expect that.

"But _Finn_!" Carol exclaims. "How are you going to be ready to move to New York in less than a month? Have you looked at dorms? At financial aid?"

"I'm sure finding a place to live won't be too difficult," Kurt interjects. "And they would have used last year's numbers to determine financial aid."

"That's a big change mighty quick," Burt says, looking a little bit stunned himself. "Guess it'll help that Kurt's already there, though. You already cleaned out your dorm here?"

"Wasn't much to clean out, but yeah," Finn says. "Puck's already found another place to crash, and like Kurt said, he can help me find a place to live. I could sleep on his floor for a couple weeks if I had to."

"Floor my ass," Kurt mutters under his breath.

"Did you say something, honey?" Carole asks.

"Oh, no," Kurt says with a smile. "Not at all."

"Well, this was big news!" Burt says.

"Oh sweetie, you'll be so far away!" Carole says. She picks up her napkin and dabs at her eyes. "I won't know what to do!"

"We'll be fine, Carole," Burt insists. "I guess it'll make it a little easier to get all of us together, even."

"See? It'll be great," Finn says. "And seriously, after dinner, me and Kurt'll go up and talk about where I should live and stuff. It'll be great."

"Yes," Kurt agrees, nodding. "We'll do that. As soon as dinner is over."

By the end of dinner, Kurt is tired of hearing of yet another small detail that Burt or Carole has thought of, and as soon as Finn's plate is next to Kurt's in the dishwasher, Kurt grabs his hand.

"We're going upstairs," he says over his shoulder, pulling Finn up the stairs and straight into Kurt's bedroom, closing and locking the door behind them. "Finn Hudson! You didn't tell me—"

Finn grabs Kurt by the shirt and pulls him forward, kissing him hard. Finn thrusts his tongue into Kurt's mouth and moves a hand into Kurt's hair. Kurt grabs Finn's shoulders and presses against him, leaning into the kiss. Finn walks them towards the bed, and when Kurt's legs bump the edge, Finn leans them both down onto the mattress.

Kurt pulls his mouth away from Finn's, their lips still barely touching. "No more three months?"

"Not unless you want me to wait for fall," Finn answers.

"God, no. Is that my Christmas present? Because it's a good one."

Finn laughs. "Part of it, anyway. You've got to wait for the rest!"

"I don't think you can top it, though," Kurt admits, sliding his hands under Finn's shirt and up his back. "Sorry. I hope you weren't planning to try."

"Just act excited about your present so Burt and Mom don't ask questions," Finn says.

Kurt giggles and nods. "Exactly."

It's probably for the best that neither Burt nor Carole seem to expect to talk to either of them for the rest of the evening; as it is, Finn has to put his hand over Kurt's mouth when Kurt gets particularly loud. By the time they get downstairs the next morning, Carole's left for work, and Kurt tells Burt that Finn fell asleep in Kurt's room while they were talking.

It's not precisely untrue, either, though the talking ended a bit before they fell asleep.

After lunch, they leave the house, and Kurt suggests they do go by the Lima Bean for coffee. "I know I shouldn't have left most of my Christmas shopping until now," Kurt complains, "but I need caffeine before we go to the mall."

"My shopping is already done," Finn says. "Anyway, you already told me I gave you the best present."

"It's true, you did." Kurt shrugs. "I just have to pretend to be impressed by what other people give me."

"You should practice your surprised and excited face," Finn says. "I can help you with that later, if you want."

Kurt giggles as Finn parks near the Lima Bean. "Well, you do know how to make me quite excited."

"I bet I could still manage to surprise you if I tried."

"Possibly," Kurt concedes. "I'll find us a table?" he says to Finn as they walk in.

"Sure, I'll go get our drinks," Finn says.

Kurt turns to his right, heading towards the corner table, then stops halfway there. "Blaine, what a surprise."

"Kurt, it's good to see you," Blaine says. "In town for Christmas?"

"Yes, I just got in last night. How are you enjoying Elon?"

"It's great." Blaine smiles broadly. "I love the program, and I'm really enjoying North Carolina. More than I thought I would." He looks sheepish for a moment. "I'm actually glad I didn't get into NYADA."

"I'm glad it's such a good fit. Are you seeing anyone?"

"I am. Just for a few weeks now. His name's Jody."

"Oh, that's right, I saw something on Facebook." Kurt shakes his head. "Sorry, between Thanksgiving and finals…"

"Understandable. And you? Are you seeing anyone?"

"I am." Kurt grins widely.

"It must be going well," Blaine says with a laugh. "I can tell by the look on your face."

"Extremely," Kurt acknowledges. "Extremely well."

"Anyone I know?" Blaine asks. "Is it Adam?"

"Adam? Oh, no, it's not Adam." Kurt turns his head slightly when he catches Finn approaching out of the corner of his eye, and then reaches his hand out with a smile. "Thank you," he says to Finn.

"Be careful. It's hot," Finn says, handing Kurt his drink. "Oh, hey Blaine."

Blaine looks between Kurt and Finn for a moment, then shakes his head slightly. "Sorry. Hi, Finn. It's good to see you." He looks between them again. "College going well?"

"Yeah, it's great, thanks! Transferring to CUNY next semester, though." Finn gives Blaine a wide smile. "That's probably going to be pretty different! Still great, though. So how about you? Still seeing that… Oh, shoot, was he Jimmy?"

"I'm putting you in charge of remembering these things, apparently," Kurt says wryly. "Just not the exact names."

"Jody," Blaine supplies. "I am. I was just telling Kurt how much I'm enjoying North Carolina. But, yes, wow, CUNY." He gives Kurt a perplexed look before turning his attention back to Finn. "Are you going to live in the dorms there?"

"Haven't quite figured out where I'm living," Finn confesses. "I'll probably be crashing with Kurt and the girls for a while, since I haven't really had any time to find a place." He leans in slightly, and says in a conspiratorial hush, "I sort of sprang it on him."

"Wow, that's going to be a little crowded, isn't it?" Blaine asks. "Especially with your boyfriend, Kurt."

Finn gives Kurt an amused, if quizzical, look. "Yeah, I mean, I guess it would be, if we were different people," Finn says agreeably.

"We didn't get that far in the conversation," Kurt explains.

"Oh, wow, oh, okay," Blaine says, clearly flustered. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize. Well, I wondered a moment ago, actually!" Blaine studies the two of them for a moment. "Well, that's wonderful."

"Nobody was more surprised than me," Finn confesses, "but yeah, it really is. Now, about Jody. You should tell me whether you and Jody ever made it out to Asheville like you were talking about on Facebook, 'cause that sounded really nice, with the cabins and all that!"

Kurt takes a sip of his coffee and steps a little closer to Finn as Blaine responds, and thinks to himself that he is definitely putting Finn in charge of keeping up with Facebook. After a few more moments, they continue to their own table, and Kurt shakes his head. "Interesting."

"What?" Finn asks. "If you'd keep up with Facebook, you'd know this stuff, too."

Kurt laughs. "But now I have you to keep up with it for me. And Blaine apparently _does_ keep up with Facebook, but since we haven't changed anything on Facebook, he was a bit flummoxed."

"I don't know how to change any of that stuff, I told you that" Finn protests. "I just read it on my phone. The last time I changed that stuff, it was because Marley went in there and changed my college stuff and relationship. I'd fix it if I knew how! I don't care if people know." He pauses for a beat, then adds, "Except Burt, who might kill me."

"Probably better not to change anything online until they know," Kurt says with a wince. "The people we see regularly know, without Facebook's assistance."

"But I don't care if other people know. I want them to know," Finn insists. "I'm not ashamed of it."

"I know," Kurt assures him. "I know, Finn. We just… need to figure out when and how we're going to tell Dad and Carole."

"Yeah," Finn sighs. "I just want to be able to get Marley or Santana or somebody to change my relationship thingy again."

"I think I can manage it, whenever you want it done," Kurt says. "Is it bad that I'd rather wait until we're in New York, though?"

"Well, since Burt'll probably be more pissed at me than Mom is at you, I'm going to go with no, it's not bad, for me anyway!"

"I don't think they'll be angry," Kurt says with a frown. "Just confused and concerned."

"And a little angry."

"Why angry?" Kurt takes another sip of his coffee, still frowning. "It's not like you're blackmailing me or anything."

"I don't know," Finn says. He twists the lid around on his coffee, not looking up at Kurt. "I think Burt might think I'm not good enough for you."

"What?" Kurt says incredulously. "What do you mean?"

"Burt wants somebody great for you. Somebody perfect." Finn keeps turning the lid on his cup. "They don't really think I'm very smart, you know? And I don't do big showy dramatic stuff." He frowns. "And I probably won't ask Burt first before I ask you to marry me. Sorry."

Kurt blinks twice. "Well, they're wrong, and they're wrong, and good." Kurt sighs. "Remember what my dad did? He encouraged Blaine just to wait a little longer. Since Blaine hadn't graduated yet. No commentary on the fact that Blaine and I weren't even together anymore!" Kurt stops and takes another drink of his coffee to give himself a chance to compose his expression, because he hadn't expected such a blatant declaration of Finn's intentions.

"Well, Blaine seems really happy with that Joey guy," Finn says. "So waiting worked out for him, at least. They hike. I've seen pictures. They have boots and backpacks and all of that stuff!"

"If you want to hike, you'll need to find whatever city Puck's in and convince him to hike. A walk through Central Park, yes. Backpacks and gear, no." Kurt smiles a little. "It doesn't matter what Dad wants for me. It matters what _I_ want. Which is you."

"You're sure?" Finn asks. "Because I'm moving to New York and you're like ninety percent of the reason."

"Very sure." Kurt picks up Finn's hand. "It's been you for a very long time, sweetheart."

"Maybe… maybe it hasn't been as long for me," Finn says, "but it's you, too. It's you for me."

Kurt smiles at Finn, squeezing his hand and just watching him, and Kurt nods once, more to himself than to Finn. Yes. It's been Finn for a long time, and it's still Finn, and it's going to _be_ Finn. "I love you," Kurt says.

"I love you, too," Finn says. "We should finish our drinks and go back to the house."

"We _should_, yes, except that I don't know how to explain to Dad that no, he doesn't get a gift, because we abandoned Christmas shopping in favor of something more fun." Kurt laughs. "Then he'll wonder when something else became more fun for me."

"Okay, okay, we'll shop for a while and then we'll go back to the house," Finn concedes. "As long as 'go back to the house' is on the list."

"It's the gift that keeps on giving," Kurt says, standing up while still holding Finn's hand. "We just can't wrap it as such."

Kurt manages to find gifts for the remaining people he needs to shop for in less than two hours, and they do go back to the house while it's still empty. The remaining days leading up to Christmas are a bit like an elaborate game of 'how far can they go without getting caught', including various excuses for why they never do end up sleeping in separate rooms.

When Kurt wakes up on Christmas morning, he blinks a few times and then smiles at Finn, who's already awake and simply watching Kurt. "Merry Christmas," Kurt whispers after a few moments.

"Hey," Finn replies softly. "Merry Christmas."

"It's already a good one," Kurt says. "Please tell me you can wait before running to open presents downstairs."

"We could practice opening presents up here first," Finn suggests.

Kurt runs his hand down Finn's side, stopping it on Finn's hip. "You're already unwrapped."

"Yeah, but I already gave you your present. Anyway, you've still got blankets."

"Well, yes, you did," Kurt admits. "And it's December. Though I think we use fewer than we would if we were alone."

Finn slips his hand under the blankets and runs it down Kurt's chest and stomach, loosely circling Kurt's cock. "Yeah, I think we're better than blankets."

"Oh, definitely." Kurt rotates his hips forward. "You realize we're going to have to start setting our alarms for earlier than before. Because I like waking up this way."

"Me, too."

Kurt moves closer, pressing his lips to Finn's softly and repeatedly before deepening the kiss, and his fingers dig into Finn's hip a little bit. Finn moves his hand on Kurt's cock in long, slow strokes. Kurt rocks into Finn's movements and pulls Finn towards him as he slowly moves his lips back. "Since you already gave me an excellent Christmas present that, by the way, you're going to have work very hard to top next year, what do you want this morning?"

"You know what I like," Finn says. "Surprise me."

Kurt laughs. "Did you want me to blindfold _you_? Or less surprise than that?"

"As much surprise as you think I need, I guess," Finn says. He tightens his hand on Kurt.

"Maybe we'll save that for another day," Kurt muses. "Turn over for me, sweetheart."

Finn smiles and gives Kurt's cock a final stroke. "See? You know." He rolls onto his stomach, then pushes himself up onto his hands and knees.

"Yes." Kurt runs his hands over Finn's hips and legs, then kneels beside him. "If we were more religious I'd put some tinsel in your hair," he says, giggling a little. "We could look at it as a preview of what you might look like in thirty years." He shifts his position, on his knees behind Finn, and reaches for the bottle of lube on the nightstand.

"May not take thirty years," Finn says.

"I hope you aren't suggesting I'm going to give you grey hairs," Kurt laughs. He slides a slicked finger inside Finn steadily, his other hand resting on Finn's ass.

"Did it sound like I meant that? I don't think I meant that," Finn says.

"Good." Kurt moves his finger in and out slowly, then adds a second one. "You'll probably look distinguished, anyway. Add an extra air of gravity." Kurt's fingers slide more rapidly, and he leans forward, kissing Finn's back. After another moment, he picks up the lube again, removing his fingers and putting his cock at Finn's entrance. "Now?"

"Uh huh, now," Finn says.

Kurt pushes forward, both of his hands holding on to Finn's hips, and he exhales as he moves. "You're always so tight, Finn. You feel so good around me." He stills, sliding one hand around to loosely grasp Finn's cock. "So, so good."

Finn rocks backwards against Kurt. "God, Kurt, this is the best. This is always the best."

"I know. I love watching you, listening to you," Kurt murmurs, starting to thrust slowly. "I love you, love you so much, sweetheart." He moves the hand on Finn's cock, still holding it only loosely. "So good."

Finn pushes himself back onto Kurt's cock with a low moan. "I love you, too, now _harder_, Kurt!"

Kurt lets out a short laugh and grips at Finn's hip more tightly. "Like this?" he says, pushing in fast and moving his hand rapidly up and down Finn's cock. "Or harder?"

"You know," Finn says, somewhat breathlessly. "You know what I want."

"Yes, I do," Kurt admits, putting more force into each thrust and tightening his hand around Finn. "Feels _so_ good." He digs his fingers into Finn's hip for leverage, his own breath coming more rapidly. "Love being inside you."

"Yeah," Finn agrees. "I love—"

The bedroom door swings open, Carole's voice carrying into the room. "Boys, aren't you two— oh. _Oh!_ I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

"Carole, what— oh," Burt says, sounding very confused.

Kurt freezes, his mouth falling open. "Oh my god," he says under his breath. "Just. Just shut the door."

"We're so sorry!" Carole says, quickly backing out of the doorway and shutting the door behind her.

"Well, shit," Finn says. "Guess they know now."

"Uh-huh," Kurt says faintly, still staring at the door. "I guess I forgot to lock it last night. I'm sorry."

"So— so they know," Finn mutters. "Okay. They know." He rocks his hips backwards. "So they know, don't _stop_!"

Kurt lets out an almost hysterical giggle and starts moving again. "They definitely know," he agrees, rapidly increasing his force and speed. "No take-backs now," he warns playfully. Kurt moves his thumb over the tip of Finn's cock. "Got it?"

"Got it oh _fuck_, Kurt!" Finn tightens around Kurt. "Just— just—"

"Yes," Kurt murmurs. "Yes, fuck, Finn." Kurt slams into Finn hard, his hand flying on Finn's cock, and he clutches at Finn with the other hand.

Finn tightens around Kurt even more, shouting, "Oh fuck, _Kurt_," as he comes all over Kurt's hand and continues pushing back against him.

Kurt moans and thrusts into Finn a few more times until he starts to come, shaking as he cries out. "Finn," he mumbles a moment later. "Finn, Finn."

"Yeah?" Finn responds, his face mostly pressed into the pillow.

"Love you," Kurt says quietly, slipping out of Finn and lying beside him. "How long do you think we can put off going downstairs?"

"Probably a while," Finn guesses. "I mean, they did sound pretty shocked."

"It was probably the opposite of whatever they expected." Kurt kisses Finn's cheek, then the side of his neck. "Maybe it'll stop the repeated questions about why, exactly, New York."

"Maybe," Finn agrees. He rolls towards Kurt and pulls him close. "Only way to know is to go down there, though."

"Yeah." Kurt sighs. "And if we wait too long, they might come knock on the door."

"Fine. We'll shower and then go down," Finn says. "But we'll shower together so they can't catch us alone."

Kurt nods, not sure whether to laugh or grimace at the thought. "Good plan."

They take long enough in the shower that it's almost like they did, in fact, shower separately, followed by dressing that takes longer than it would if they were each alone. Kurt stands in front of the door and takes Finn's hand.

"Ready?"

"I can't get out of it, so I'll just say yes and do it anyway," Finn says.

"True." Kurt exhales and opens the door, leading the way down the stairs and into the living room, where Burt and Carole are talking quietly. They fall silent when Kurt and Finn appear, and Kurt notes with a little dismay that Burt and Carole took the sofa, meaning they expect Kurt and Finn to sit separately. Finn sits in the chair and then scoots over so the space next to him is almost big enough for Kurt to sit comfortably without have to overlap his legs over Finn's. Kurt smiles at Finn at he sits down next to him, leaning his head against Finn's shoulder, and he notes the frown on Burt's face.

"Well, boys, this is quite a surprise," Burt says, still frowning. "I don't really know what all to say. Finn, is this why you're transferring?"

"Yeah," Finn says, looking Burt in the face. "That's why."

"Finn, I just… I don't know what to say!" Carole exclaims. "Has this been going on for a while?"

Kurt looks at Finn and nods slowly. "It's not new," he finally says.

"I gotta admit, I thought you'd be getting back together with Blaine," Burt says, shaking his head.

"Blaine's in North Carolina and going hiking on his dates with—" Kurt frowns and looks at Finn. "What was his name?"

"Jerry. No, Johnny." Finn shrugs. "Or maybe it was Joe."

"Something that starts with a J." Kurt shrugs. "Regardless, no. I had no plans to get back together with Blaine, even when he still did."

"And instead you're with Finn." Burt turns to Finn, almost glaring at him. "I hope you're serious about this."

"I am!" Finn retorts defensively. "I'm very serious!"

"Oh, Finn," Carole sighs. "You've never shown any interest in boys before now, so you can't expect us not to wonder at least a little."

"I just never thought about it before," Finn counters. "Then I did, and now I'm just happy."

"We're both happy," Kurt says firmly. "Though admittedly happier we won't be separated for months at a time."

Burt shakes his head. "I don't know about this, Kurt. After everything you've done, moving to New York, and now you're— you chose Finn?"

"Yes." Kurt exhales loudly. "I did. I am choosing him. And as we just said, we're happy."

"This is going to take some getting used to," Carole admits. "That was a little, uh, _unexpected_ this morning."

Kurt winces. "Yes. Sorry. I forgot to lock the door."

"Some warning in advance that the two of you were," Carole looks over at Burt before continuing, "involved. That might have been nice, too."

"We were going to tell you. Eventually," Kurt admits.

"You two are going to get a place together, aren't you?" Burt says suddenly. "And you knew about the transfer, Kurt?"

"Sort of." Kurt grins at Finn.

"I didn't tell him I'd been accepted," Finn says. "Or that I could transfer for spring."

"Christmas present," Kurt says with a shrug.

"I can't say I'm exactly thrilled by all this," Burt says after a few moments of silence. "I think Carole and I'd like to talk to both of you individually later."

Finn looks at Kurt again before shaking his head. "No, I think if there's anything to say, you can say it to both of us."

Kurt nods his agreement, eyes still on Finn. "I agree," he says, smiling at Finn.

Carole sighs again. "Well, then I suppose we should start opening Christmas presents then."

Kurt and Finn manage to avoid being cornered by Burt and Carole during the rest of their time in Lima, which admittedly means that if one of them leaves the house for any reason, the other one does as well, even if they aren't heading the same place. Kurt manages to get a credit towards a later ticket from his original ticket to New York, and the day after New Year's, he and Finn pack up and drive towards New York.

Kurt waits until they're about to cross the border into Pennsylvania to send a text to Rachel and Santana, informing them that one, Finn will be living with them temporarily, and two, that when Finn moves out, Kurt will be leaving as well.

It is moderately cramped and occasionally awkward, but they wait until after they've started their spring semester classes to start looking for an apartment. The place they finally find is tiny but equidistant between Finn's campus and Kurt's, and Kurt finds himself daydreaming about how to fix it up during classes.

The two or three days before they actually move in, Finn seems almost jumpy at times, though Kurt can't figure out why. He's certain, at least, that Finn isn't having second thoughts, since he's still just as affectionate and responsive, just prone to falling silent at odd intervals.

Moving only takes a few hours; by the time they eat a late lunch, the bed is set up, most of their clothes are unpacked, and they can find all of their plates and utensils. Kurt leans against the counter and raises an eyebrow in Finn's direction.

"We don't need to finish unpacking everything immediately, I don't think."

"No?" Finn asks. "I still had a few things I wanted to, uh. Find places for."

"I just thought a short break might be nice, is all." Kurt grins. "Or we could just enjoy the view."

"We should go sit on the bed," Finn suggests. He seems distracted again, and Kurt nods.

"Okay." He pushes off the counter and sits on the edge of the bed.

"I'm just going to empty out this one more box first," Finn says. "I'll be right there."

"Okay," Kurt repeats slowly, shrugging and taking off his shoes before tucking his legs underneath himself. Finn paws through a medium-sized box, looking increasingly frustrated. "Sweetheart?" Kurt asks. "What is it?"

"Just another minute or two, okay?" Finn requests. "I'm almost done." He keeps digging into the box, until finally he stops, making a few furtive movements before standing up and walking to the bed. "Sorry."

Finn kisses Kurt, then gently pushes him back against the bed, turning him so his head is against the pillows. "Hi," Kurt says, amused. "You don't really have to convince me to lie on the bed, you know."

Finn climbs onto the bed, straddling Kurt's hips. "I need to talk to you about something," Finn says. "I wanted to make sure you weren't distracted with anything else!"

"Finn, you _are_ distracting. In a very good way, but distracting nonetheless," Kurt points out.

"I need to ask you a question," Finn says. "There's not a right or wrong answer, though, okay? I love you no matter what you say."

"Okay." Kurt turns his head slightly and looks up at Finn. "I love you, too."

"Good. Okay, so…" Finn takes a deep breath. "Do you think that maybe you'd want to marry me?"

"Finn." Kurt bites his lip, grinning. "Only you, sweetheart. As it happens, yes. I would like that."

"Okay, good," Finn says. He reaches into his pocket and pulls his hand out again, closed into a fist. He rests his hand on Kurt's chest and uncurls it to reveal a plain gold band. "So, _will_ you marry me?"

"Yes." Kurt puts his right hand on Finn's upper arm, still smiling. "Is this why you've been so jumpy?"

"Maybe," Finn says. "But yes for real?"

"Yes for real. No take-backs on this, either," Kurt adds teasingly.

"No way," Finn agrees. He holds the ring out to Kurt. "Well, put it on so I know it's real!"

Kurt laughs and takes it from Finn. "Did you get yourself one?"

"No, that's silly. Why would I get one for myself?"

"So I need to go shopping tomorrow?"

"Oh." Finn looks down at Kurt's hand with the ring adorning it. "I guess so."

"I thought we could do the right hand thing?" Kurt says. "Like, hmm. Who is it that does that? Since it's not like we're wearing diamond solitaires."

"Oh, is that a thing? I didn't know that was a thing," Finn says. "We can do whatever you want to do, though. It doesn't matter to me. I mean, you said _yes_ and that's kind of the important part."

"Yes. It is." Kurt tugs on the front of Finn's shirt, pulling him down. "I'm pretty sure you're supposed to kiss me now."

"Is that all?" Finn asks, letting Kurt pull him down. He presses his lips against Kurt's, one hand sliding into Kurt's hair.

Kurt nods. "Well, at the very least, it's a place to start."

Kurt skips class the next day to go to a small jewelry store not too far from NYADA, and he leaves the ring box sitting on Finn's pillow once he gets back to the apartment and starts working on the remainder of the boxes. They never had made it back to unpacking the previous day, and since they'd had the bed and clean clothes, it hadn't mattered.

They end up being engaged for two and a half years, through the remainder of Kurt's time at NYADA, through Finn's student teaching, and through Burt and Carole's long-lived surprise. In the end, Kurt only spends a few months planning the actual wedding, and on a lovely September day, after exchanging their vows, Kurt and Finn dance together again.


End file.
